CustomInk initially struggled with mobile experiences, providing only an error page for mobile users. However, as mobile traffic increased due to marketing efforts, CustomInk realized it needed a dedicated mobile strategy. It started by optimizing key tasks like designing t-shirts on mobile. This led to doubling of mobile traffic and increased sharing across devices. CustomInk learned mobile users want the same experiences as desktop. Its mobile-first approach now provides convenient access to the full feature set regardless of device.

1. Dara Pressley
@UXDiva
The Perils of Taking Great UX Commerce Mobile

2. The greatest peril for the mobile
strategy of Enterprise
is the audacity of the user

3. –Karen McGrane | Content Strategy for Mobile
“Users insist on consuming content on the device
most convenient to them.”
“They decide how and when to access your
content, not you.”

4. Too often Enterprise makes assumptions about
the experience they should create on mobile
which are often a great departure from the
experience that users are expecting.

5. Flickr: "Curbside Cookoff 2010 Lobster
Truck" by Mr.TinDC
CC: Attribution-NoDerivs License
CustomInk certainly did not expect users to create T-Shirts on their
mobile devices in 2011. But Mr. T used his mobile phone to design his
products while waiting for customers.

6. Obstacles Going Mobile
• Technology
• Content
• Responsive vs. Optimized
• Full Scale Redesign vs. Iterative Changes
• Mobile Friendly vs. Mobile Experience
• Internal Politics
• Change Management
• The Bottom Line

7. A few examples

8. NPR & COPE
Create Once, Publish Everywhere

9. NPR is the poster child for content done right
- COPE separates the data from the interface so that that
same dataset can be published to multiple interfaces.
- Using a taxonomy system complete with proper
tagging, categorization, and meta-data, the same
content can be used beyond the website.
- In fact, data can be moved even beyond mobile and
tablet. NPR data currently streams to iTunes.
- With a multichannel strategy, the data can be pushed
to social platforms, and internet connected devices
such as cars and stoves.

10. CMS
COPE
& More

11. images: mashable.com | npr.com
iPad
iTunes
iPhone

12. The Responsive Onion

13. images: mediaquir.es
Publishing lends itself nicely to responsive design.
- Text easily bends to fit the space
- With image optimization, images can be delivered at a size and weight best suited to the
device.
- Here you see The Onion has figured out how to reset ad placements per device so that the
ads are not just clumped at the bottom.

14. The Optimized Amazon

15. • Amazon started in mobile long before notions of responsive design.
• Each property is optimized for the best experience.
• Window Shop for the iPad is so lovely, users may spend more than they
had bargained for with out realizing
• just click, click, click
• Amazon has among it’s properties
• amazon.com
• amazon.com mobile
• Mobile Apps
• iPad Window Shop
• If the Kindle is an optimized book buying/ reading experience
• on Desktop, Mobile Apps, Tablets and the Kindle Tablet(s)

16. Desktop Window Shop
Mobile Web

17. An Iterative Make over

18. The design is dead
Long live the redesign
• The Guardian is working
on redesign a responsive
mobile first design
• while still keeping the
current desktop design
active
Working in the background

19. So…. This is all great for content driven sites.
!
What if your site is made up of applications?

20. The Banking Industry
Mobile is a chance to be innovative.
Banking systems:
- Old technology makes it difficult for banks to update their systems for internal apps and customer
facing websites.
- Mobile was a chance to start fresh / be innovative
- These interfaces are easier to use than the full site and much more pleasing
- I spoke with a Wells Fargo UXer (2 years ago) who was struggling to make the same games on their
desktop property, and it hasn’t happened yet…

21. Just imagine the experience
of a brand new bank today

22. • Each nuance of
Simple is a delight.
• Simple is banking
done right on desktop
and mobile.
images: zagg.com

23. Time Warner Cable
• The goal of their redesign was to
move from static HTML page to a
Content Management System
• Their plan was to create first an
optimized desktop site then mobile.
• Mobile needs changed their strategy
• Users needed to be able to buy
services
• And Users needed to be able to
get help with their services
• Both of these needs had to be filled
for when the user is not on desktop
based internet

24. Content & Change Management
• Time Warner Cable quickly found that in order to
support the content needs of their new management
system they needed to have the right team in place
• Companies that understand change management
ahead of time, or adapt, will be most successful in
creating their experiences

25. Don’t judge a mobile experience
based on a current experience that
doesn’t exit.
Internal Politics
One of the biggest obstacles to
creating a mobile experience is just
getting started.

26. CustomInk
Making the Decision
to go Mobile

27. 6
CustomInk’s Design Lab

28. • Early 2011 CustomInk mobile traffic was less than 10% —
much lower than other retailers
• Most of over all traffic came from Customer Referrals, SEO,
and Paid Search
• Landing on the site on Mobile resulted in an error page
“Oops! You are in uncharted territory.”
• As a company, CustomInk wanted the experience of their site to be awesome,
and that was only happening on the desktop.
• Rather than let mobile users choose to “pinch & zoom” desktop pages, their
path was simply blocked.
• Natural search began to send more mobile users to the site
• For the most, those users were not returning on their desktop

29. Flickr: "Curbside Cookoff 2010 Lobster
Truck" by Mr.TinDC
CC: Attribution-NoDerivs License
Remember this guy…
6
This is what he’s
working with

30. • With the error page removed, users could browse the
site
• Early 2012, CustomInk began spending on TV ads
• Viewers were browsing the mobiles for more
information
• By Q3, mobile traffic had almost doubled
• Fixing the Design Lab to work on touch devices
allowed mobile users to save their designs.
• And of course… sharing brought people to the site
from whatever device they were currently on.

31. Fresh take on mobile
Booster Fundraising Not having to worry about
the impacts of the main site,
Booster was a chance to take
a look at mobile
Fundraisers are meant to be shared and therefore created an
inherit need for Booster to be available on what ever device the
user chose to view.

32. What Drives CustomInk Mobile Usage?
• TV commercials
• Email
• Facebook
• Sharing
• Group Purchase
• Booster
What drives CustomInk mobile usage?
• Macro trends
• TV commercials
• Email
• Facebook
14

33. What do mobile users want to do?

34. “While I realize there are
limitations for the site
developer, as a general rule, I
feel that anything available on
the site should be available on
mobile.”
Users wanted to be
able to do the same
tasks on their
mobile as their
desktop.

35. The way ahead | CustomInk
• Creating a strategy that includes
mobile while still continuing to
enjoy the same gains in sales is
both exciting and terrifying
• All of the strategizes mentioned
before come with wins and risks
• Let’s just do what works for each
experience in the site
• So that users can use the device
most convenient for them
Starting with

36. Thanks!
Dara Pressley
Lead User Experience Designer
dpressley@customink.com
@UXDiva