Centralis World Usability Day Talk 2010

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Putting Mobile in ContextAn Ecosystem UX Design Perspective

Lyman Casey, Ph.D.

Centralis

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About Centralis

• Chicago area UX Research and Design Firm

• Established 2001

• User Needs Analysis, UX Design and Usability

• Business and Consumer Applications

• North America, Europe, Asia

• Mobile, web and physical products

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About Centralis

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As of 2010:

• 76% of the global population have mobile subscriptions

• Nearly a billion potential mobile web users

Source: International Telecommunications Union

The Future is Now

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As of 2012:

The Future is Now

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“Smartphones, or Mobile devices,

will soon become the dominant

computing platform for humanity

and supplant the PC which has

reigned since Apple ignited the

Personal Computer revolution in the

late 1970's.”

“Just a few years after the launch of

the iPhone, it is Game Over for PCs.”

-Seth Weintraub, Fortune

The End of the PC?

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Will Mobile Supplant the PC?

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Smartphone Limitations

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For all their power, the utility of smartphones is and will be limited by two factors:

Screen size

Keyboard

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Analyzing and Creating Spreadsheets

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Visualizing Complex Data

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Viewing Images

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Drafting and Reviewing Documents

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Okay, but what about the iPad?

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Okay, but what about the iPad?

Great visuals! Now if only it had

a real keyboard…

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Does this remind you of anything?

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Smartphones

Work well for: Receiving messages and notifications

Checking status

Notifying others

Confirming

Forwarding/sharing

Recording brief notes on the go

Executing simple, repeat transactions

Wayfinding and locating nearby resources

Consuming short-form written content

Capturing and sharing media

Playing simple games

Backup connectivity (Plan B)

Not well-suited for:― Extended data entry

― Viewing or editing complex documents

― Viewing or analyzing complex images

― Completing complex transactions

― Browsing full websites

― Comparing multiple documents or screens

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Personal Computers

Work well for:― Extended data entry

― Viewing or editing complex documents

― Viewing or analyzing complex images

― Completing complex transactions

― Browsing full websites

― Comparing multiple documents or screens

Not well-suited for: Exchanging information on the go

Wayfinding en route

Locating nearby resources

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Reading the tea leaves…

1. Smartphones will not supplant laptops – they will

complement them

2. Touchscreens will be ubiquitous, but will not replace the

keyboard

3. Users will exploit the unique advantages of each device

4. Successful designs will feature smart, flexible coordination

of the user experience across an “Ecosystem of screens”

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Examples of the Ecosystem Approach

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Example: Remember The Milk

Web client

Manage task lists

Manage tasks

Schedule

reminders

Configure

reminders

Configure

preferences

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Mobile app

Manage task lists

Manage tasks

View and add notes

Schedule reminders

x Configure reminders

x Configure preferences

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iGoogle Gadget

Manage tasks

x Schedule reminders

x View and add notes

x Manage task lists



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Twitter Service

Manage tasks


x View and add notes

x Manage task lists



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Outlook Plugin

Manage task lists

Manage tasks




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Example: Lose It!

Website

Create weight loss

plan

Track food and

exercise calories

against daily budget

View progress toward

goal

Share progress with

friends

Create custom reports

Engage with member

forums

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Example: Lose It!

Mobile App

Create weight loss

plan

Track food and

exercise calories

against daily budget

View progress toward

goal

Share progress with

friends

x Create custom reports

x Engage with member

forums

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Implications for UX Design

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Implications

By treating connected applications for different platforms as a parts of a

coordinated communication system, we can make mobile, PC and other

applications smarter and easier to use.

Cloud

Web Client

Mobile client

Other web

services

Desktop Plug-in

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Implications

• No interface is an island (or should be). Think system!

• Create cross-context, cross-platform scenarios

• Let users enter data on one platform and view it o others

• Think about ways to use experiences on one device to inform others

• In choosing feature sets, don’t port the kitchen sink to each device

• In prioritizing features, play to the context and strengths of each device

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Thank you.

For more information, please contact:

Lyman Casey

[email protected] | 847.864.7713 x22