Designing the Mobile User Experience

I've added reading notes on Barbara Ballard's Designing the Mobile User Experience. It's a fairly good read, and takes a sensible approach to designing for the mobile device and user that's worth considering, in spite of the fact that the content of the book will become dated as technology and user behaviors progress.

The thrust of her argument merits consideration: that mobile is "different," that is, the way in which people use mobile devices is significantly different from the way in which they use desktop computers, which may explain why mobile has struggled to gain acceptance for over a decade now (the first phase of mobile mania started in 1999, when it was believed that people would pay for information services on primitive phones that could handle two 16-charqacter lines of text).

The main problem is that the design approach to mobile has been to miniaturize desktop applications and Web services, failing to consider that the mobile user uses their device while in motion, using one hand, in an environment of distractions, and for quick reference in the context of location. With that in mind, the reason most mobile applications have been terrible failures is clear: they are ported haphazardly from one channel to another without any though of the needs of the user in a very different channel.

The differences considered, most applications meant for the desktop are simply not suited to be carried over to the mobile platform, whereas the unique needs of the mobile user, given the context of use, suggest additional opportunities for applications that would be of little use to the desktop.

In all, the mobile channel requires a different approach - and until it is considered as a medium unto itself, rather than a miniaturized version of the personal computer, there is likely to be little success in exploiting the channel.