1 Mobile UX: We’re still human Chris Scull
Jun 29, 2015
1
Mobile UX:We’re still human
Chris Scull
Between the ages of 13 -17...
I worked weekends for my dad’s engineering company
My main duties included carrying toolboxes,around buildings, for engineers
This was hard work
The toolboxes were always ridiculously heavy
And I always had to carry them to the topor bottom of a building
But I noticed something..
The engineer never used ALL the tools in the toolbox
So I made a deal...
The game changed, but the players were the same
We would decide what tools were needed
And if we discovered we needed more,I’d make another trip...
Things got a lot better after that...
So most of the time I wasn’t dragginga massive toolbox about
Which is obviously better
I’d say 70% of the time, the engineer knewwhat tools to take
That story is true
ALLEGORY
ALERT
Here’s thepresentation menu
With mobile and tablet now accounting for 10 -20% of traffic to most websites its increasingly important that mobile user experience is as good as desktop.
I’ll cover my rules to help you design better mobile user experience, with case studies from the field
The points I’ll be making
Allegorical toolbox storyWhich actually happened (ask my dad)
Point 1: Mobile and desktop are differentYou’ll want to be sitting down for this, it’s a real bombshell
Point 2: Design for the context, not the contentBecause context is more important
Point 3: Be bloody, brave and resoluteBe as fearless as Macbeth when creating mobile UX
Point 4: Don’t be afraid to be good at one or two thingsEmbrace simplicity and ease of use
Point 5: Success isn’t the thing existingIt doesn’t end there
I’ll concludeAnd spell out the meaning of the allegory earlier
POINT 1Mobile and desktop are
different
o Sat down in a familiar location
o Alone in a quiet room
o Concentrating hard; desktop interaction is likely to be sole focus.
o Plenty of time to do what she wants
o Typing with both hands
o Has full access to everything in her office and on her computer
o Stood up – and on the move
o Surrounded by other people; lots of sensory distractions
o Concentrating on something else (not missing his train)
o Fitting what he’s doing into an idle moment
o Holding the device with one hand
o Likely to be using a touchscreen device
o Mobile is inherently social
o Push notifications remove the need to check multiple sites
o Much smaller real estate
Spot the difference?
Patently, experiences should be different dependent on whether you’re on a mobile or desktop.
An IA might change. Functionality might change. Everything might change.
Be flexible.
Takeaway
Point 2: Design for the context, not the content
Responsive doesn’t solve your mobile problem
Is this content/functionality useful?
Is it valuable?
Is it worth being on mobile?
Designing a mobile site for a public sector agency
Mobile and tablet important as they now account for 20% of all traffic.
First step was to understand the context and usage – how does web and mobile-web fit?
Client X: Mobile UX design for user context
I believe that mobile shouldn’t necessarilydirectly mimic desktop
Desktop1. Home2. Consumer information page3. Consumer information page
Client X: Mobile UX design for user context
And the stats reflect that... Popular pages
Mobile1. Contact us (70%)2. Consumer landing page3. About
If mobile users consider ‘Contact Us’ the most important journey on a mobile site, then treat it as such
Business insightsPeople buy legal services based on reputation and personal relationships
They buy into an individual, not just the firm that person works for
Sales do not happen online, you do not add legal services to a shopping basket and go to the checkout
Digital needed to support the offline business, not replace it
First understand how the business operates
Telephone
“We’re interested in legal services for marketing. Yes, sure I’d love to meet Simon.”
Mobile-web
2 days laterDiary reminder: your meeting with Lewis Silkin is in 30 minutes.
“Who is this guy I’m meeting – what’s he like?
“I’ll send you an email to confirm and a link to Simon’s profile.”
Face-to-face
“Hi Simon.. I was just reading your journal post – really interesting stuff.”
Mapping out the customer journey helped us to understand where mobile web could make a
difference
Lewis Silkin: Mobile UX design for user context
Automotive Client: Mobile UX
Some awful mistakesApp for a car model
Don’t presume positive outcomes
The success of mobile UX is dependent on the human holding it and the situation they are in.
Solve the problem; don’t answer a question that’s not being asked.
Takeaway
POINT 3Be bloody, brave and resolute
(Fearless like Macbeth)
Don’t cram everything in
Make every piece of content fight for its life on mobile
Wield the axe
Less is more
Be bloody, brave and resolute!
Nobody wants a mobile app or site to be like an overstuffed suitcase that you can’t close
(Let alone fit into an overhead bin)
Client Y: “What are we going to do with all our great contentwhen we go to gov.uk?!”
Research/Analytics: NO ONE IS LOOKING AT YOUR ‘GREAT CONTENT’
This is why gov.uk wins awards...
Be bloody, bold and resolute with content and functionality!
Embrace simplicity
Fast, stylish & elegant!
Not overstuffed..
Busy, complex, difficult to navigate and use
All the best mobile experiences are fast, stylish and elegant.
Your mission is to remove the friction which prevents that.
Takeaway
POINT 4Be really awesome at
one or two things
Being awesome at a few things
The Guardian app is awesome at summarising The Guardian
Vine is great and creating and sharing looping videos
Being awesome at a few things
Vanity Fair have a really elegant pared down experience
The Sweet Setup focus on mobile use by streamlining their offering for mobile
Instagram sold for approx $1bn
It is awesome at one thing.
Instagram sold for approx $1bn
“We knew that if we specialised in photos and did photos really well, that’s in some way more powerful than this bundle of everything else”
- Kevin Systrom
Make it simple.
Be awesome at one or two things.
Don’t be a toolbox.
Takeaway
POINT 5Success isn’t “the
thing existing”
Automotive Client: Mobile UX
“Yeah but we’ll be on the App Store!”
Client X: Mobile UX
“Everything needs to be on mobile”
Analytics, 3 months later: No one is looking at it.
Client X: Mobile UX
“We’ve launched our big campaignwith a YouTube video!”
Analytics: It has 30 views after a month
What is working? What isn’t working?
Test on real people.
Learn and iterate.
Takeaway
Let’s ‘wrap’ this up
To conclude
Don’t give users the entire toolbox, when afew tools will suffice
Users want a fast, stylish and elegant mobile experience.
Pick the right tools for the job
By the end of 2013, there will be more mobile
devices on Earth than people
--------------------------------------Cisco 2013
“ ”
Questions?Chris Scull– UX Consultant
Get in touch:Email: [email protected] @cjscullBlog: blog.readingroom.com
Interests: Digital strategy, user experience, information architecture, usability, accessibility, mobile, social media Outside work: West Ham, live music
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