Question about created our own Add-in for outlook

Question

Hi,

My company, Jones Software, wants to create a solution for our users to perform certain actions directly from emails sent by our system. We are planning to develop an Outlook add-in and publish it to AppSource. However, we have a few questions we’d like to clarify before starting development:

We already have a UI that our customers are familiar with, and we believe it’s best to use this existing design for consistency. While we understand that Fluent UI React is recommended for accessibility, we prefer to use our own components and color scheme, and we will ensure they are accessible. Is this approach acceptable for publishing the add-in to AppSource?

The add-in will be exclusively for users of our platform, who must purchase our product to create an account. In this case, can we still publish the add-in to AppSource?

Is it mandatory to support mobile, or can we create the add-in only for web and desktop and still publish it to AppSource?

Can we use cookies to authenticate users via a login process initiated from the add-in dialog?

If we provide more than one or two main actions, allowing users to perform the most common operations on records in our system, would that be acceptable?

Answer 1

Hi @Doron Tromer

Welcome to our forum!

Is this approach acceptable for publishing the add-in to AppSource?

While Fluent UI React is recommended for accessibility, you can use your own components and color scheme as long as they meet accessibility standards. Ensuring your design is accessible is crucial for approval.

can we still publish the add-in to AppSource?

Yes, you can publish the add-in to AppSource even if it is exclusively for users of your platform. However, you must ensure that the add-in provides clear value and functionality to users who have purchased your product.

Is it mandatory to support mobile, or can we create the add-in only for web and desktop and still publish it to AppSource?

It is not mandatory to support mobile platforms. You can create the add-in for web and desktop only and still publish it to AppSource. Just make sure to specify the supported platforms in your add-in manifest.

Can we use cookies to authenticate users via a login process initiated from the add-in dialog?

Yes, you can. Ensure that your authentication process complies with security best practices and privacy policies.

If we provide more than one or two main actions, allowing users to perform the most common operations on records in our system, would that be acceptable?

It is acceptable as long as the actions are relevant and useful to the users. The add-in should enhance productivity and provide a seamless experience.

More information:

• Best practices for developing Office Add-ins - Office Add-ins | Microsoft Learn 
• Publish your Office Add-in to Microsoft AppSource - Office Add-ins | Microsoft Learn

Hope it helps! 

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