Numbers you can trust at a glance

Problem

Researchers refresh Google Scholar far too often

Citation counts matter for careers, so researchers check them compulsively. CiteBar puts the numbers in the macOS menu bar and notifies only when something changes. The design question: what does someone need to see so they can stop checking?

Feedback

One user, three requests, three releases

• “Request for option to show current year’s cites rather than total”Shipped in v1.4.8: current-year citations can be the primary number in the menu bar.
• “Ability to track a particular paper (rather than just a researcher)”The user wanted papers near the margin of affecting an h-index. Shipped in v1.6.1: a Papers window with starring, and progress toward the next h-index (for example 3/6).
• “Trend count should show correct number of days since baseline”“+X in last 30 days” appeared even with less history. Fixed: new profiles now read “+X in last Y days” until a full window exists.

Issue titles quoted as filed. Each was closed with a personal reply explaining how to use the change.

Try it

Why the honest label matters

Slide the amount of history a profile has, and compare the old label with the new one.

Principles

Small decisions that earn the hand-off

• Notify on change onlyNo “nothing changed” alerts. Milestones at 10, 25, 50, 100 and beyond open a shareable card.
• Be a good citizenRequests are spaced out and back off after errors. Profiles refresh daily by default, never more than every 12 hours.
• Your data stays yoursStored locally, no accounts, no telemetry; export, import, and optional backup.
• Explain every numberDay counts on every trend, markers on partial group totals, and explanations on hover.

Impact

Small product, complete loop

CiteBar is small: a few hundred direct downloads, plus people updating in place. Its value here is the loop: a stranger’s request, a reply, a release, and a closed issue.