Re-designing a scanning app's App Store screenshots for better ASO as an exercise

Project Goals:

• Create an updated set of app store screenshots for TurboScan Pro* based on best creative practices and insights from competitor designs.
• Develop two variations of the app store screenshots (background, copy treatment, composition, etc.).
• Provide a brief explanation of the changes made and the rationale behind those design decisions.

*This project was a personal design exercise. Concept UI redesign based on publicly available information.

Tools:

• Figma
• Powerpoint / Google Slides

Role:

• UX / Visual Designer
• Digital Strategist

Client / Team:

Independent Practice Project - not associated with TurboScan (all rights reserved)

• Mindy Kilgore

Duration:

• 1 week
• October 2025

Planning

Methodology:

Competitive Audit: Audit TurboScan competitors’ app store experience in comparison to TurboScan’s app store screenshots.

High fidelity mockups: Reimagine and update the app store screenshots for the TurboScan Pro: Document & Receipt app, aligning it with current design trends, ASO best practices, and successful elements from top competitors.

Before:

Research

I completed a competitive audit for popular scanning apps on the app store, examining competitors Docly, Scanner Pro, Scanner Hero, iScanner, and SwiftScan:

Common Patterns / Opportunities:

• Brand color in background and use of textures / objects to add visual interest.
• Use of phone mockups in displaying screens.
• Including copy (a title and short - medium sentence) highlighting key features.
• Icons displaying what file types can be exported.
• A title card and screenshot displaying merit (rating, total ratings, total users, awards, news outlet features).
• Zoomed in areas that pop off of mockup.

Sketches

I created paper wireframe sketches based on the findings from the competitive audit and ASO best practices.

Copy:

• Gathered merit from TurboScan ratings and app store description (4.9 stars, 94.4K ratings, featured in NY Times, CNN Money, & The Telegraph).
• Gathered app store assets and list of features from TurboScan app store description.

Layout:

1. Title page with rating and merit.
2. Screenshots include a phone mockup and title with a sentence description of features.
3. Include icons for exportable files.

Hifi Wireframes

1. Title card: Logo, tagline (Scan Fast, from name and claim of 3 second scans in description), star rating, and rating count.
2. White and variations of brand green gradient and texture for background (brand consistency and evokes print / dpi associations with dot texture).
3. Merit page: Display more merit (4.9 stars, 94.4K ratings, news outlet features).
4. Titles and descriptions of features paired with previous app store screenshots.
5. Phone mockups with visual enhancements (red bar for scanning, pop out sections, icons for exportable files).

Alternate Version:

iPad Designs:

Iteration

Upon finishing version 1 of the TurboScan high fidelity screenshots, I received feedback that the previous screenshots were close to competitor versions but still did not reflect 2025 design trends. The user journey could also be improved in the screenshot order. I redesigned version 2 to incorporate the following changes:

1. More saturated colors and more playful fonts for headers
2. 3D phone and iPad mockups
3. Assymetrical design
4. Screenshots re-ordered to reflect step-by-step user journey

Alternate Version:

iPad Version:

Project Images

Apple App Store mockup for updated v1 and v2

Takeaways & Next Steps

• Practiced incorporating 2025 design trends into ASO-forward app screenshots.
• Improved on copy and user journey presented by screenshots, ASO layering.
• Learned a lot about scanning apps!