First of all, some context
MOBILE USER EXPERIENCE
inspiring new ways of design and development
Antony Ribot, CEO, Ribot
First of all, some context
BACKGROUND
started at tomato (’99)
then studied ants, bees and termites
joined the mobile scene 5 years ago
co-founded ribot 1.5 years ago
ceo / art director
Why does ribot exist?
push UI boundaries
explore and play with interfaces
in small spaces
passion for creating things
under many constraints
Personal definitions
Interaction design
how the user
interacts with the
object
Method
User experience
the qualitative
emotional
description of
multiple
interactions with an
object
Relationship
The user-centered developer
(A NOTE TO DEVS)
develops with the user in mind
a bridge between designer and developer
not a role for every developer
does not replace traditional UX expert
why the need for the new role?
What’s different about mobile UX
(AS A FIELD)
UX is in its infancy
mobile UX deals with many more constraints
goal: to make a positive impact on the
experience
Constraints of mobile
THERE ARE MANY
form factor
network latency
battery
QuickTime™ and a
None decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
input mechanism
memory
computational power
context
The mobile environment
IT’S LIKE MARS
single early failure = non-returning user
Mars, Neptune, Pluto...
THE ENVIRONMENT DIFFERS, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE
user behaviour
handset range
operators
data allowance / pricing
e.g. South Africa, Europe, Japan...
How to deal with Mars
Leave the hard stuff to desktop web
develop relationship as quickly as possible
user retention is a good indicator of product
performance, but loyalty is minimal in mobile
Time for a snack...
DATA-SNACKING
small snippets of info
30-60 seconds
simple, but repetitive
regular
Re-use learnt behaviours
Re-use interactions inherent in the device
Minimise the number of surprises
soft key positions
colour
menu navigation
tone of voice
Mobile is not about making
things smaller
smalleraller
Miniaturisation
vs
http://mobilewebbook.com
Mobilisation
It’s all about the subtleties
Fewer options = simple and more effective
interface
Polish makes the UX and app stand out
Working around the 3G icon
Reward-based exploration
FOCUSING ON THE KEY FEATURE AND DOING IT WELL
keep it as simple as possible (the hard part)
allow the user to play within safe boundaries
user’s comfort increases
sense of exploration increases
discovery of features almost by accident
Opera Mini
A REWARD-BASED MOBILE BROWSER
page by page scrolling
Opera Mini
A REWARD-BASED MOBILE BROWSER
Short-cuts in the soft key menu
How to deal with diversity
select lead handsets for your target audience
use the design process to tackle “graceful
degradation”
http://www.admob.com/metrics
Mobile UX - the easier path
Workshop
Idea exploration
Paper wireframes
Formalised digital wireframes
User/expert testing
Aesthetic concepts
Screen design
Art direction
Docs
Rapid prototype
Why use rapid prototyping
test ideas quickly in a tangible environment
extremely useful reference for developers
an interactive showcase of the intended UX
Mobile rapid prototyping tools
Flash (lite v3.0)
XHTML + CSS
Nokia Web Runtime
Silverlight
One design doesn’t fit all
Input mechanisms require their own design
Touch screen
elements need to
look interactive
large enough to
press?
Nav-pad driven
action-based
language
make the most of
simple nav
Questions
Antony Ribot
ribot.co.uk