The mobile ecosystem and development strategies

The mobile ecosystem

Ivano Malavolta
Gran Sasso Science Institute

Roadmap
The mobile ecosystem
Mobile as the 7th mass medium
Designing for context
Mobile development strategies
Types of mobile applications
Tips for the project

The Mobile Ecosystem

4G
HSPDA
GPRS
Edge

WIFI

Services
Applications
Application frameworks
Operating systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

Operators make the entire mobile ecosystem work

ROLE: to create and maintain wireless services over a
reliable cellular network

They install
cellular towers

•  Voice
•  Messages
•  Internet access

Operators

Mobile networks communicate through electromagnetic
radio waves with a cell site base station, the antennas of
which are usually mounted on a tower, pole or building

image from: http://
en.kioskea.net/contents/
telephonie-mobile/gsm.php3

Networks
Operators

The PHONE
handsets or terminals in industry

but also other devices such as tablets, ebook readers…

Devices
Networks
Operators

Feature Phone
VS
Smartphone
(and touch phones)

Devices
Networks
Operators
image source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/28/its-still-afeature-phone-world-global-smartphone-penetration-at-27/

Platforms provide access to the devices, they provide a core
programming language in which ALL the software is
written

Open Source: free to use and modify

•  Android, Firefox OS
Proprietary: by device makers

•  iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm
Licensed: sold to device makers

•  JavaME, BREW, Windows Mobile

Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

OS have core services or toolkits that enable apps to talk to
each other and share data or services

For example:

OSs are common in smartphones,
but rare in feature phones

Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

They run on top of the OS, sharing core services such as:

•  Communications
•  Messaging
•  Graphics
•  Location
•  Security
•  Authentication
•  …

Application Frameworks
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators


Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators
data source: http://www.slideshare.net/ﬂing/mobile-20-designdevelop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

Deﬁnition: in the realm of technology, this usually refers to a
computer program that runs on a website (Google Apps), a
small computing device (iPad App) or a cell phone
(Android App).

Example applications include

•  Games
•  Web Browser
•  Camera

Applications
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

Apps live between the device and the user

APP

They must ﬁt with their usage context

They must know the speciﬁc device
attributes and capabilities

à FRAGMENTATION PROBLEM

Applications
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

The Fragmentation problem
It is the inability to develop an app against a reference
operating context (OC) and achieve the intended behavior
in all OCs suitable for the application.
OC = the external environment inﬂuencing its operation

Applications
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

The Fragmentation problem

is
here
W
pache
A
ova?
Cord

for further info: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~damithch/ﬁles/SEKE2008.pdf

Services are “everything the user is trying to do”
They are often available at different levels

•  Application
•  Application Framework
•  OS

Example services may include

•  the Internet
•  sending a text message
•  being able to get a location

Services
Applications
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

All of these layers must be passed through before you get to
the content

Services
Applications
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

Nowadays, the mobile
ecosystem is:
complicated, fragmented, and
a political nightmare

RUN AWAY!!!

however…

Mobile market
How big is the Mobile Market?

data source: http://www.slideshare.net/ﬂing/mobile-20-design-develop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

Mobile market

in 2009
data source: http://www.slideshare.net/ﬂing/mobile-20-design-develop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

Mobile is the 7th mass media
1.  Printing press
2.  Recordings
3.  Cinema
4.  Radio
5.  Television
6.  Internet


Mobile is the LARGEST
,

most available

mass medium

TO MANKIND

it started at the
same time as the
Web

7.  Mobile

UNIQUE TRAIT
it can do EVERYTHING all the
other media can do

• Reading (and publishing)

• Play recordings

• Watch movies

• Listen to radio
• Watch TV (and
streaming)
• Surf the Internet

Unique benefits of Mobile
Apart from covering all the other media, mobile has five
unique benefits

First truly personal mass media
We don’t share our phones with our
friends

First always-on mass media
Information is always available 24/7,
even when idle

First always-carried mass media
7 out of 10 people sleep with their
phones within reach

Built-in payment channel
Universal click-to-buy + credit cards
At the point of creative impulse
Ability to create or consume content
whenever the mood strikes

Context
CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT
Mobile apps have the amazing capability to add

CONTEXT

CONTEXTinformation, adding immediate CONTEXT CONTEXT
to CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT relevance
to what we are doing right here, CONTEXT CONTEXT
CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXTright now

Two kinds of context

Context
with a big “C”

VS

context
with a little “c”

Context VS context by example

The app works in a speciﬁc context depending on the
current location of the user
The app gives Context by providing additional info
http://bit.ly/wXGpNA

Context VS context by example
Context

who is here?

VS
context

where I am

Context answers users’
questions

VS

context is a fact

https://foursquare.com

Context with a big “C”
How users will derive value from something they are
currently doing

For example:

•  info on restaurants
•  rate places
•  GPS navigator
http://www.oink.com

Context with a big “C”
The information provided by the app gives Context

A better understanding of what this moment in time
means to the user

Recurrent targets:

people, places, things, situations, ideas

context with a little “c”
The mode, medium and environment in which we
perform our tasks

There are 3 different types of context:
1.  Physical context
2.  Media context
3.  Modal context

Physical context
where I am

http://bit.ly/wXGpNA
http://bit.ly/yoBk7d

Physical context
in which environment I am

•  at home
•  on a bus
•  in the streets
•  in my ofﬁce
•  in a shop
http://www.textndrive.com
http://www.whatsapp.com

car
VS
train

Media context
the device I am using

•  Connectivity
•  Screen size
•  Camera
•  etc …
http://www.facebook.com

Modal context
my present state of mind

what I am doing right now
How I feel right now

http://www.runens.com

http://photostatsapp.com/
http://babypad.mezmedia.com

…again on “big C” VS “little c”
I only care
about…

I only care
about…

Context

user

context

Developer
(you)

The Mobile golden rule

If you can unlock the state of mind of
your users and start thinking in their
context, understanding how a mobile
experience will add value to their lives,
you will have the ever-elusive…

KILLER
APP

How can you apply the golden rule?
Think of your app in its context
•  Who is your user? Business man, teenager, mum…
•  What is happening? Are they hanging out with
friends?
•  When will he interact? @home? @work? waiting for
the bus?
•  Where is he? Public/private space, inside/outside, day/
night
•  Why will he use your app? How do you give Context?
•  How is he using his mobile device? Is the device held in
the hand? Portrait or landscape?

Examples

http://www.soundhound.com

Examples 2

http://www.endomondo.com

Examples 3

http://www.instagr.am

Examples 4

http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3

Developing a mobile strategy
Mobile strategy =

How much it will cost you to
develop your app?

How much time?

How much
effort?
How much
money?

Bursting the ﬁrst myth
Mobile design and development IS NOT CHEAP

http://www.slideshare.net/ﬂing/native-v-hybrid-v-web

The new rules for a mobile strategy
Remember, mobile is a new medium

à

DIFFERENT RULES

Don’t try to follow “traditional rules” since mobile has its own
peculiarities:

•  context
•  location, user mood
•  device fragmentation
•  unique UI patterns

Rule #1

Forget what you think you know
Mobile is an ever-evolving area

à today you are already outdated

•  Forget what you think you know about mobile
- It is most likely incorrect

•  Don’t try to emulate other projects

- Focus on what is right for your user, not what is right for someone
else’s user

Rule #2
Believe what you see, not what you read

•  Don’t trust any report, fact, or ﬁgure that 1-2 years old

- It is most likely wrong

•  Go to your users and ask them questions in person

- Don’t try to simply validate your ideas

•  Record everything

- Your own users’ worlds will help you in focussing on their need

•  Don’t forget to innovate

- Try new things, be bold, and don’t be afraid to fail

Rule #3

Constraints never come ﬁrst

•  Avoid talking about constraints at an early-stage brainstorming
session

- Refer back to Rule #1 and forget what you think you know

•  There will always be constraints in mobile, accept it!
•  Focus on strategy ﬁrst, what the user needs, and lay down the
features

- Then, if the constraints become an issue, fall back to the user goals

•  There is always an alternative

Rule #4

Focus on context, goals and needs

•  Defining the users’ context is the first thing to do

- without it, you don’t have a mobile strategy, you have only a plan of action

•  Uncover the users’ goals

- and then try and understand how the users’ context alters their goals

•  With goals understood, figure out the tasks the users want to perform
•  Look for ways to filter content by context

- for example: location, media, and model

Rule #5
You can’t support everything

•  Don’t try to support everything

- Start with the devices that best represent your core customer

•  The most popular might not always be the best device for your
project

•  Check your server logs for the devices accessing your site

- These are the ﬁrst devices to target

Rule #6

Don’t convert, create

Great mobile products are created, never ported

•  Understand your user and his context

- Having an idea of how and when users will access your content
will aid in understanding how to best
create a tailored mobile
experience

•  Mobile is a unique medium

Rule #7

Keep it simple
People want to use mobile devices in a simple way

•  Simplicity à fewer technical problems
•  Easier to iterate and evolve your app

•  Don’t try to create a desktop software on a mobile

- Adding feature after feature is an easy trap to fall in

•  Build the experience around your users’ main need and nothing else

Types of mobile apps
Applications can be presented in different ways

es. taks-based utility, immersive experience, etc…

•  Typically, it is best to choose one app context and present it
to the user

à don’t mix app contexts!

TIP: if you really need to switch context within your app, let
the user choose when to switch

Types of mobile apps
Mobile apps can provide different experiences to the user

Utility
Locale
Informative
Productivity
Immersive

Utility
•  short, task-based scenarios
•  minimal information from the user
•  minimal design

ex.

calculator

alarm clock

weather forecast

Locale
•  it provides info about “what’s around”
•  recurrent feature: a map on which data is displayed
•  goal of the user: to find additional

info about his present location

ex.

find friends around

find pubs around

get route directions
https://foursquare.com

Informative
•  Goal: to provide information to the user
•  Task of the user: to read and understand
•  not necessarily to interact
•  remember that user tasks are

short and can be interrupted
ex.

news

online directory

mobile commerce

https://www.pinterest.com

Productivity
•  Meant to increase user’s sense of efﬁciency
•  Users have a clear goal in mind
•  Very structured (with folders)
–  it gives a sense of order
•  Clear workﬂow

ex. mail, scanning, todo lists…

TIP: focus on the main task only, and

only after start adding other features

http://www.thegrizzlylabs.com/genius-scan

Immersive
•  immersive, full-screen app
•  meant to consume the user’s focus

ex.

games

media players

entertainment
TIP: you can use it as alternative to other app contexts
http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3

There is no “perfect app”, you have to ﬁnd the sweet spot

costs, revenue,
market share, and
time to market

development or
conﬁguration,
maintainability, and
reliability

your
APP
User Goals
usability

1. 

Find a REAL NEED first

2. 

Find your GOAL to fill the need

3. 

Reverse Engineer the goal into a potential app

4.  Remember the unique benefits of Mobile
5. 

CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT
•  Location, camera, always-carried, accelerometer
•  WHO is your typical user???? Define usage scenarios

This is my checkbox when I review an app:
ü  Does it have a clear goal?
ü  Is it ﬁlling a real need?
ü  Does it consider the context in which I’m using it?
ü  Is it integrated with other services?

Look at http://www.programmableweb.com

and discover a new world out there!! J

ü  Is it a pleasure to use it?

I look at UI design, interface slickness, ecc.

References

Chapters
1-2-3-4-5-6

http://goo.gl/MY4keU

Contact

Ivano Malavolta |
Gran Sasso Science Institute
+ 39 380 70 21 600

iivanoo

ivano.malavolta@univaq.it

www.ivanomalavolta.com

The mobile ecosystem and development strategies

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