Best practices for In-app feedback
#in-app feedback
#competitor analysis
#feedback
#NPS
#rating
#survey
#response rate
#discovery
Summary

Research maps best practices for implementing in-app feedback in mobile applications. It explores why integrated in-app feedback have higher response rates and more relevant insights compared to external channels (e.g. app store reviews).
Research includes common UI components, describe their advantages, limitations, and optimal use cases. The analysis also covers targeting, timing, and question design for maximizing actionable feedback while minimizing user disruption.

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Conducted in January 2023.

Key takeaways
  • Integrated in-app feedback improves product alignment with user needs and strengthens brand loyalty
  • Closing the feedback loop (acting on input and communicating results) boosts trust and engagement
  • Active and passive methods should be combined strategically to balance speed, depth, and user experience
  • Well-implemented in-app feedback becomes a key part of the customer journey
Scope and goal
  • To identify best practices
  • Explore feedback types
  • Evaluate UI components
  • Define implementation tips
Methods
  • Conducted competitor analysis of mobile applications across industries
  • Reviewed academic and industry sources on in-app feedback effectiveness and design
Results
  • Classified feedback into two main categories:
    1. Passive (push): User-initiated, visible but non-intrusive (e.g., feedback button, sidebar)
    2. Active (pull): Product-initiated, event-triggered (e.g., pop-up survey, app rating prompt, NPS)
  • Passive feedback works well for continuous, low-interruption data collection but yields slower results
  • Active feedback enables targeted, faster insights but risks user disruption if poorly timed
  • Effective UI components share these traits:
    1. Appear at moments of natural pause or flow completion
    2. Provide skip or close options to avoid forced feedback
  • Timing is critical - feedback should follow relevant user actions and allow enough time for opinion formation
  • Combine closed and open-ended questions
  • Make feedback optional
  • Acknowledge user contributions
What to use for scale

❤ Hearts: signal emotions

⭐ Stars: signal quality/ranking

👍 Likes (thumbs up/down): neutral, binary choice that yields clear-cut answers

🔢 Numbers: neutral but require more cognitive effort

😃 Smileys: emotion-based like hearts, easy and relatable, reduce translation of feelings into words/numbers, as accurate as numbered scales

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We summarized best practices in Vitaly approved Medium article.

See full results