Heart icons in an app rating prompt: +14.65% rate taps
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsOnSwitch replaced the text in its app rating pop-up with heart and broken-heart emoji, and taps on the rate option rose 14.65%.
Skips fell 2.23%. OnSwitch ran this test in its lighting app, and it was published as a MarketingSherpa case study.
- Rate taps: +14.65%, so more users went on to rate the app.
- Skips: -2.23%, so slightly fewer users dismissed the prompt.
- Sample size and significance were not shared.
The change
Text title and options are replaced with heart and broken-heart icons.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The rating pop-up was titled 'Enjoying OnSwitch?' and offered text options to rate the app, give feedback or skip.
Variant
The pop-up used heart and broken-heart emoji as the title and the answer options.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Icons can be read at a glance, so the choice took less effort.
- A heart is a light, friendly way to ask how someone feels about an app.
- Fewer words may have made the prompt feel less like a chore.
Caveats: Sample size, duration and confidence were not shared, and the source page is no longer online.
Who ran it
OnSwitch ran this test and published the results (MarketingSherpa case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on OnSwitch →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we replace the text in our rating prompt with simple icons, then more users will tap to rate because the choice is quicker to read and feels lighter.
- Primary metric
- Rate taps per prompt shown
- Guardrails
- Average store rating
- Feedback submissions
- Prompt dismiss rate
- Who should test it
- Consumer apps and SaaS products with an in-app rating or satisfaction prompt. It may not fit B2B tools where a playful tone clashes with the brand.
Questions
Do emoji in app prompts improve response?
In OnSwitch's test, heart icons lifted rate taps 14.65% over a text-only prompt.
Results will vary by audience and brand tone.
How do you get more app store ratings?
Make the prompt quick to answer and send unhappy users to a feedback option instead of the store. Then test the wording or visuals.