Apt app names - criteria
Making users smile rather than scratch their heads
This post will address the question of what makes an app name good or not. Next Sunday’s blog is Apt app names - process, about how to come up with good names.
Is the name you choose for your app that important? Let’s consider a few examples to help consider the question: Eefoof, Grazr, Pikipimp, Super-Hero Blocky Craft Avenger Run 3D. Do the names give a clue as to what the app is about? Would you remember them tomorrow? Do they conjure up a positive image? How do they make you feel? Could you spell and pronounce them? Might they be truncated because they are too long?
Criteria
When I was considering how to name my apps, I discovered the book Hello, My Name Is Awesome which provided excellent practical guidance on the matter. The author, Alexandra Watkins, developed her SMILE and SCRATCH test for naming products and services. This Mini Masterclass video, given by Alexandra, goes into more detail on these tests which I briefly summarise here.
Good names make you SMILE
Suggestive: relates to aspects of your app
Memorable: often associated with the already familiar
Imagery: conjures up an image
Legs: facilitates evolution
Emotion: makes people feel something
Bad names make you SCRATCH your head
Spelling Challenge: hard to spell
Copycat: closely resembles another name
Restrictive: inflexible use
Annoying: clunky, crude or cringeworthy
Tame: lacks character
Curse of knowledge: requires specialist insight to understand
Hard to pronounce: a tongue twister
Other criteria
Short enough to sit below the app icon
Associated domain name can be secured at reasonable cost
Legally usable
Other resources
Brand New Name book by Jeremy Miller
How to name an app blog by ThinkLoins
Read next Sunday’s post to find out how I came up with Scarper (Game), Aim For (Personal effectiveness), Nip To (Public utilities) for my apps.
Until next Sunday, keep smiling.
Phil…
