A successful App Store Optimization (ASO) strategy requires more than simply including relevant keywords in an app’s metadata. Developers must also create a compelling visual experience that communicates their app’s value, differentiates it from competitors, and encourages users to download.

This week’s App Store Spotlight examines That Girl: Routine Planner, a productivity app that combines daily scheduling with an aesthetic-focused approach to planning. While the app incorporates relevant keywords and maintains a consistent visual identity, there are opportunities to strengthen its metadata, improve its screenshot strategy, and communicate its unique value more effectively.

By comparing its listing to a competing routine planner, we can identify several ways that That Girl could improve its visibility and conversion potential.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• App Icon: That Girl’s current icon establishes a visual identity but could more clearly communicate its productivity features.
• Title and Subtitle: Relevant keywords provide a foundation for discoverability, but the subtitle could use its limited character space more strategically.
• App Store Screenshots: A consistent aesthetic creates brand recognition, but repetitive imagery and small text may limit engagement.
• Competitor Analysis: A competing routine planner demonstrates how broader keyword targeting, App Store video, and intentional screenshot design can create additional opportunities for visibility and downloads.
• ASO Opportunities: Keyword research and creative A/B testing can help developers identify improvements based on relevant search behavior and user preferences.

THAT GIRL’S APP ICON: ESTABLISHING A CLEAR FIRST IMPRESSION

An app icon is often one of the first elements potential users encounter when discovering an app. It should establish brand recognition while visually indicating the app’s primary purpose.

That Girl’s current icon features an outline or silhouette of a girl. While this may reinforce the app’s identity and appeal to users interested in aesthetic planning, it does not immediately communicate that the app is a productivity tool.

For users browsing the Productivity category, an icon that more clearly conveys scheduling, organization, or routine building could help establish relevance at a glance.

Opportunities for improvement include:

• Incorporating recognizable visual elements associated with planning, such as a calendar, checklist, or schedule.
• Testing alternative icon concepts that balance the app’s feminine aesthetic with its core productivity functionality.
• Maintaining a consistent visual identity while making the app’s purpose easier to recognize.

Developers do not necessarily need to abandon their existing branding to improve their icon. Instead, testing different visual approaches can help determine which design best resonates with their target audience.

THAT GIRL’S TITLE AND SUBTITLE: MAKING EVERY CHARACTER COUNT

That Girl’s current App Store metadata consists of the title “that Girl: routine Planner” and the subtitle “cute daily calendar schedule.”

The title includes an important keyword phrase: “routine planner.” This helps communicate the app’s functionality while targeting users who are actively searching for tools to organize their daily routines.

However, the phrase “that Girl” does not immediately explain the app’s purpose on its own. It may be intended to evoke the aesthetic and lifestyle associated with the “that girl” trend, but that positioning could be more effective when paired with metadata that clearly communicates the app’s practical benefits.

The subtitle also presents an opportunity for improvement.

Moving Beyond Broad Keyword Coverage

The words “daily,” “calendar,” and “schedule” are relevant to the app’s functionality and can help establish its connection to routine and planning searches. However, including “cute” uses valuable character space without directly describing a core feature or addressing a specific user need.

Developers should evaluate whether that space could be used to target more meaningful search terms.

Potential keyword directions to research include:

• Time management: For users looking to organize their schedules and use their time more effectively.
• Self-care planner: For users interested in incorporating wellness and personal routines into their day.
• AI planner: If the app offers AI-powered planning functionality.
• Daily routine planner: For users searching specifically for tools to establish and maintain routines.

These are keyword opportunities to investigate, not guaranteed improvements. Each term should be evaluated against the app’s actual functionality, search demand, competition, and relevance to its target audience.

For example, “AI planner” would only be appropriate if the app genuinely offers AI-powered features. Similarly, “self-care planner” should accurately reflect the experience users can expect after downloading.

Using ASO Data to Inform Metadata Decisions

Rather than selecting keywords based on assumptions, developers can use ASO tools such as DATACUBE to research relevant search terms and identify opportunities for improved discoverability.

Keyword research can help teams evaluate:

• Search volume and potential demand.
• Keyword competition and ranking difficulty.
• Relevance to the app’s features and intended audience.
• Opportunities to reach users through more specific search queries.

A well-researched metadata strategy can help an app target a broader range of relevant searches without sacrificing clarity or attracting users whose expectations do not match the product.

As app discovery continues to evolve, developers should also consider how clear, descriptive metadata supports visibility across emerging AI-powered search and recommendation experiences. While no individual keyword guarantees placement in these results, accurately communicating an app’s purpose and functionality gives search systems more meaningful information to work with.

APP STORE SCREENSHOTS: CONSISTENCY VERSUS CONVERSION

That Girl uses eight of the ten available App Store screenshot slots. Its creative set maintains a consistent aesthetic, featuring dark brown backgrounds, iPhone mockups, and a monochromatic color palette.

This approach reinforces the app’s visual identity. However, consistency alone does not guarantee that screenshots will effectively communicate value or encourage downloads.

Where the Current Creative Falls Short

One of the main challenges with That Girl’s screenshot set is the limited visual contrast between the background and the iPhone mockups. Both use similar dark brown tones, causing the mockups to blend into the surrounding design rather than stand out as the focal point.

The screenshot set also relies on repetitive imagery and similar visual compositions. Although each screenshot should contribute to a cohesive experience, it should also communicate a distinct reason to download the app.

Additional opportunities for improvement include:

• Increase text legibility. Several text elements appear too small to read comfortably, particularly on mobile devices.
• Make awards and callouts more prominent. Recognition and trust signals can strengthen credibility, but their impact is limited when they are difficult to see.
• Create stronger visual contrast. Differentiating the iPhone mockups from the background could help draw attention to the app’s actual interface.
• Highlight unique functionality. Each screenshot should emphasize a distinct feature, benefit, or use case rather than repeatedly presenting similar interface elements.
• Use the available screenshot space strategically. The two unused slots provide additional opportunities to showcase relevant features, provided the extra screenshots add meaningful value.

Building a More Intentional Screenshot Narrative

Effective App Store screenshots should do more than display an app’s interface. They should guide potential users through the product’s most compelling benefits.

For That Girl, a revised screenshot sequence could explore different aspects of the planning experience, such as:

• Creating and managing daily routines.
• Organizing tasks within a daily calendar.
• Tracking habits or monitoring progress, if supported.
• Personalizing schedules to fit individual preferences.
• Connecting routines with self-care or other supported productivity features.

Each screenshot should pair a clear headline with an intentional interface highlight. Larger text, stronger contrast, and more varied compositions could make the listing easier to scan and help users understand what differentiates the app from other planning tools.

A/B Testing Creative Changes Before Committing

Developers do not have to guess which creative direction will perform best. A/B testing can help evaluate alternative screenshot designs, messaging, and visual treatments.

For example, That Girl could test:

• A lighter background against its current dark brown palette.
• Larger benefit-driven headlines against existing text treatments.
• Feature-specific mockups against more repetitive interface imagery.
• Different ways of presenting awards and trust signals.

By testing individual elements and evaluating performance, developers can make more informed decisions about which creative changes are worth implementing.

APP COMPETITOR SPOTLIGHT: ROUTINE PLANNER, HABIT TRACKER

Comparing That Girl with other productivity apps provides useful context for understanding how metadata and creative choices can influence discoverability and conversion.

One competing app, titled “Routine Planner, Habit Tracker,” uses the subtitle “Daily Time Management for ADHD.”

This listing takes a different approach to keyword targeting and visual communication, offering several opportunities to examine what That Girl could do differently.

App Metadata: Reaching More Specific Audiences

The competitor's title and subtitle use their available character space to incorporate multiple descriptive terms. Its title targets routine planning and habit tracking, while its subtitle introduces time management and ADHD-related needs. This creates a broader set of relevant keyword themes than simply focusing on calendars and daily schedules.

The ADHD reference is particularly notable because it addresses a specific audience searching for tools to support organization and time management. If the app's functionality genuinely supports those needs, this positioning can help it connect with users who may not search for a conventional routine planner.

There is an important distinction, however: broader keyword targeting is only valuable when it remains relevant to the app's actual functionality. A term may attract impressions, but those impressions are more likely to translate into meaningful downloads when the listing matches the user's intent.

That Girl could explore a similar approach by identifying additional audiences and use cases that align with its actual features. Rather than relying exclusively on broad calendar terminology, it could investigate relevant terms associated with habit building, routine management, personal organization, or self-care.

App Store Video: Demonstrating the Experience

One of the competitor's most noticeable advantages is its use of an App Store preview video alongside all ten available screenshots. The video walks users through different app functionalities and demonstrates what the product experience looks like after installation. Its presentation appears relatively straightforward, using screen-recorded interactions and supporting text rather than elaborate production effects. This is a useful reminder that effective App Store video does not necessarily require a complex production.

A well-executed preview can:

• Demonstrate how the app works.
• Introduce key features before installation.
• Help users understand the product's interface.
• Communicate benefits that may be difficult to convey through static images alone.

For That Girl, a preview video could demonstrate how users create routines, organize their schedules, and interact with the app's supported planning features. This would provide another way to communicate its functionality while reinforcing its aesthetic positioning.

Video performance and visibility can vary by storefront and placement, so developers should evaluate how a preview contributes to their overall listing strategy rather than assuming that adding one will automatically increase downloads.

Screenshot Design: Clearer Messaging and Stronger Hierarchy

The competitor also takes a more varied approach to its screenshot design. Its creative set features a desaturated yellow background with white wave elements, iPhone mockups positioned toward the bottom, and large, bold headlines near the top. Smaller award callouts provide additional credibility. Compared with That Girl's darker, more uniform presentation, this layout establishes a clearer visual hierarchy between the headline, supporting design elements, and app interface.

The mockups also appear more intentional, with particular interface elements highlighted or enlarged to reinforce the message of each screenshot. This helps the listing communicate more than the general appearance of the app. It gives users a clearer understanding of specific features and reasons to consider downloading it.

The competitor's awards also serve as trust signals. Although some of the award text could be larger and more legible, the inclusion of recognizable achievements can help reinforce credibility when the information is accurate and presented clearly.

Overall, this listing demonstrates several practices that That Girl could explore:

• Use all available screenshot slots when each additional image contributes meaningful information.
• Incorporate a preview video that demonstrates the actual user experience.
• Establish a stronger visual hierarchy with readable headlines and focused interface highlights.
• Use awards and other substantiated trust signals to support the app's value proposition.
• Give each screenshot a distinct purpose within the overall listing narrative.

These elements do not guarantee stronger performance, but they create more opportunities to communicate value and differentiate the app in a competitive category.

FINAL THOUGHTS

That Girl: Routine Planner has a recognizable aesthetic and a relevant starting point for its ASO strategy. Its title communicates the app's core purpose, and its screenshot set maintains a consistent visual identity.

However, there are opportunities to make its listing more competitive. The biggest opportunities for improvement include:

• Refining the app icon so its productivity functionality is more immediately recognizable.
• Reassessing the subtitle to prioritize relevant, high-value keywords over descriptive words that contribute less to discoverability.
• Using keyword research to identify additional relevant search opportunities and better understand the app's competitive landscape.
• Improving screenshot legibility, visual contrast, and feature differentiation.
• Exploring App Store video and creative A/B testing to identify which approaches resonate most effectively with its target audience.

The competitor comparison reinforces an important ASO principle: a successful listing must work as a complete experience. Metadata helps users discover an app, while its icon, screenshots, and preview video help communicate why the app is worth downloading.

By combining data-driven keyword research with intentional creative testing, That Girl can identify opportunities to strengthen its discoverability and communicate its unique value more effectively.

LET'S CHAT!

App Store Optimization is an ongoing process that requires continuous research, testing, and refinement. From identifying high-value keywords to developing creative assets that convert, every element of an app listing presents an opportunity to improve performance.

At Gummicube, we help developers build data-driven ASO strategies that strengthen app visibility, improve conversion opportunities, and support long-term growth.

Ready to take your app's ASO strategy to the next level? Explore our ASO services to learn how our team can help you identify opportunities, optimize your App Store listing, and make more informed decisions about your app's growth.