App Store (iOS, Windows)
App Store, with a little more personality
I took a functional but inconsistent set of product screenshots and turned them into a cohesive visual story, exploring how Drawboard PDF could feel more human and relevant to different audiences.
Overview
The screenshots needed a refresh.
Drawboard PDF's existing store screenshots had started to fall behind the product. At the same time, an upcoming university O-Week campaign created an opportunity to reposition Drawboard PDF as more than a PDF annotation tool, but also as a tool students could use for note-taking, studying, and collaboration.
Problem
The Challenge
The initial brief was deliberately open-ended. Along with updating the screenshots, I received a list of SEO keywords, key product capabilities, and a goal of making Drawboard more relevant to students.
I also had to work within App Store requirements, existing brand guidelines and a maximum of 10 screenshots while making each image work independently and still feel like part of the same story.
Old screenshots:
The 2 main concerns of the old screenshots were:
1. The UI shown no longer represented the current app, and the screenshots felt visually disconnected.
2. The headings used didn't address SEO keywords
Design
Finding the right visual direction
At this stage, we also engaged an external SEO agency and decided to create another set of screenshots that highlight specific features and communicate the app's value proposition. The agency gave a very strict brief that included headline copy and a visual example for each screenshot. I followed the guided examples but also made sure that the screenshots still felt genuine to the Drawboard PDF branding.
Once the screenshots are done we will A/B test these against each other to see which performs better.
Student & Educational Staff
For the student-focused approach, I wanted the screenshots to feel like something students would actually see in someone's study workflow, not a polished marketing image of an abstract product.
Professional & General Users
Rather than showing the broader Drawboard experience, each screenshot highlighted a specific product capability.
Outcome
Two directions went into testing.
With the student campaign approaching, we knew we would at least temporarily display the student-targeted screens. However, we also A/B tested the two directions in the iOS App Store to see whether we should fall back to the more professional screenshots.
Ultimately, the more colourful version performed better and remained the main screenshots on the Apple App Store.
Windows Store
Windows screenshots were developed alongside the iOS versions, but have not yet been updated on the storefront.
Reflection
My takeaway
Aside from looking very different, the screenshot styles represented 2 different approaches. One listed Drawboard PDF’s features, while the other focused on outcomes. I believe that with more testing and iteration, the best-converting screenshots would fall somewhere between the two styles.
My hypothesis is that users typically search for a PDF app with a task already in mind. They would also typically go to a search engine first and type in the specific task they need to do, for example, filling in a form. Including specific tools in the screenshots would let users find the specific tools they need. However, impact-driven screenshots would let Drawboard demonstrate its value proposition and attract organic users as well.
