Mobile Matters
presented by Grace Lau & John Khuu, Information Architects,
at the 2010 LACASIST Spring Workshop
on May 21, 2010
held at Claremont Colleges
http://lacasist.org
30. Mobility isn't isolation. It doesn't take a user away from the library. As an omnipresent space, mobile can empower patrons to find what matters most wherever they are.
We are information architects, we know who our users are, we design for the best user experience
**What this session won't cover** - lots of statistics about mobile - a case study of one library's mobile strategy Note that this session isn’t about developing the best product. For each organization, the product will be different. different goals, different users. We’re not going to be showcasing a specific library’s mobile site. I’m sure you can find plenty of write-ups, podcasts, etc that elaborate on their process and mobile strategy. The goals that we outline for this session are simple: 1) Build a shared understanding and vocabulary around Mobile Sites vs. Mobile App what does it mean to be mobile? Why is it important to go mobile? Define mobile sites vs mobile apps 2) Leave the room knowing mobile trends and best practices importance of Benchmarking other mobile library sites survey functionality 3) Understand users and user needs (Workshop mode) Want to target the mobile site or app to the audience who matters most, benefits from it the most. to do this, need to understand who the users are… create pragmatic personas, draft basic user stories, creating a story map that can be later - want the audience to leave feeling that they can do something
So we've come a long way from the days of the cordless/wireless phone. We don't just call people to talk. We use phones not to communicate with others, but for: information retrieval, information consumption, and entertainment.
Mobile Computing is ubiquitous. Look around you. How many of you have a phone? What kind of phone is it? Smart Phone, Touch Phone, or Feature Phone? Curiously: How many iPhones? BlackBerries? Androids? How often do you find yourself checking your phone for something you may have missed in the past 5 minutes? in 11/2009 - it was estimated that 3G phones will become the majority of phones owned by 2014 - over 80%. Forrester Research estimated that by the end of 2009 - 88% of the US population will have a phone subscription Juniper Research: Mobile retail market to exceed $12 billion by 2014 Mobile apps to generate $1.6 billion in revenue in 2010 Mobile advertising spend to rise 80 percent in 2010 Mobile Web More Popular Than Reading
Time-sensitive what's going on right now? Location-sensitive what's going on around me? who's around me -location based services -location awareness Good-to-know / Entertainment? what might be good information to keep in mind? what can i do right now? (trivia, Reminders & Alerts what meetings do I have? What do I need to do right now? sharing (Media, Updates) - facebook, twitter, gowalla, 4square - bump app (swap iPhone contacts by "bumping" their iPhones) - interaction09 example can't remember the source, but there was a recent posting that: people are more willing to share their lives online: - gowalla, 4square - pple more willing to share their private lives on the web - an internet-enabled phone allows instant sharing of photos, videos,
“ Mobile” is not just shrinking the page Ask yourself some of these Qs when evaluating: What services are currently available? What services are applicable on a mobile device? What services translate well to the mobile environment? What tools can be created easily? What would be fun to see? Don't mobilize everything! Can you imagine the whole disneyworld.com site on a mobile device? You should give users the option to choose to view the full site Use only essential, relevant content Not everything needs to be or should be mobilized. Note: We will visit later more about personas and your users as you begin to think what and how do you design for them.
KNOW YOUR USERS “ Mobile” is not just shrinking the page - importance of picking and choosing the relevant information - at Disney, it's our job to know what our guests want to know. Example: park hours ticket prices where you are fastpasses where to eat Problems that can occur from visiting regular sites on mobile devices: performance is slow, pages are too large, navigation is difficult, certain parts of websites don’t work These problems are caused by the very physical characteristics of mobile technology that make mobile internet access possible: the small size of devices and displays, the wireless network, the limited features of dedicated mobile operating systems and browsers.
Mobile web sites vs. Mobile apps: mobile website or create a downloadable application that runs on the handsets Pros: -Support, setup, and deployment of a mobile site is quicker, simpler and cheaper than the creation/maintenance of a phone app -Single platform (Web browser) to reach a broad audience Cons: -Limitations of technologies of phone browsers (incapable of serving Flash or heavy sites -unable In conclusion, it very much depends on your organization’s goals with regards to the mobile application . If it’s simply an extension of your mobile website, is heavily content focused and does not require an interactive user experience, then the mobile web may be a better choice. If one requires access to device functionality such as location or the contact list and have an appropriate development and porting strategy formed (either internally, or through a partner) that will help minimize the effects of device fragmentation, then developing a mobile application makes sense. Source: http://fivemobile.com/development/mobile-web-mobile-apps/comment-page-1/
Take a stroll down other mobile library sites. this section looks at what other library mobile sites are working on Competitive benchmarking involves looking and comparing
How do we want to help the library user? What kind of information is the library user seeking on a Mobile Web? These kinds of needs and wants should be what drives the features set for your mobile library site. Library address & phone numbers Quick tap and they can map, call, or text Library hours Quick reference Catalog search Bringing the power of search through the phone Ask a Librarian Chat from anywhere they are Not computer desk-ridden ILS integration Update their account Renew materials Reading lists Calendar / Events Blogs, Twitter, Facebook Additional information Much of these features are features that your library Web site already offers to its Web users. The main difference is the information provided are ready for quick consumption, and if applicable for use. The mobile device is a remote control to get through the jungle of information to the core.
NCSU Libraries Mobile Site Access to essential library information, optimized for your mobile device. You can search for available computers, find hours and locations of branches and library services, look up items in the catalog, and even see the coffee line using the Hill of Beans webcam. Source: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/m/about.html
Harford County Public Library's mobile app. From your iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, or webOS device, you can quickly connect to the library. Features include: Branch information Upcoming Programs New Releases & Booklists Ask a Question Catalog Search and Account access Links to our full website and social networking presences Source: Mobile app: http://www.hcplonline.info/hcplmobile/ Mobile site: http://m.hcplonline.info
Mobile App - ShelfLister developed by The University of Texas at Arlington Library What is it? ShelfLister is a Voyager client for generating real-time shelf lists . ShelfLister is compatible with any networked computing device having a browser, but it has been optimized for mobile computing via wireless-enabled handheld devices: Palm, Pocket PC, iPhone, etc. Since it is a web-based application residing on the server, no software (other than a browser) needs to be installed on the client end. How does it work? As an application designed for mobile computing, ShelfLister requires minimal data entry -- in fact, no manual data entry if used with an integrated barcode scanner . A user only needs to scan, or enter, the barcodes for two books on each end of a shelf, and ShelfLister generates a call number sorted shelf list of all items between those two items. The user has a choice of including any or all of the following information: charge statistics browse statistics item status (e.g. Charged, Missing, Cat/Circ Review, etc.), For situations in which a collection isn't barcoded, an alternate entry form allows for inputting call numbers. From the shelf list results page, clicking on an item brings up the title and author, all barcode numbers (active and inactive), and expanded item status information. The demo provides an in-depth look at the application. Why use it? It is anticipated that ShelfLister may be useful for stacks maintenance, collection development (e.g. weeding), or inventory purposes Source: http://rocky.uta.edu/doran/shelflister/
Taking a slice from e-commerce Why E-Commerce? - Worldwide revenue from the purchase of downloaded mobile applications is forecast to surge 47 percent in 2010 from last year, according to a report. - Mobile consumers are expected to spend $6.2 billion in 2010 at mobile applications stores compared with $4.2 million in 2009. Revenue for the wildly popular mobile application market, including advertising, is expected to skyrocket to $29.5 billion by the end of 2013, according to the report from researcher Gartner. - “Games remain the No. 1 application, and mobile shopping, social networking, utilities and productivity tools continue to grow and attract increasing amounts of money,” said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner. Remember? Mobile shopping will balloon to $119B by 2015 Knowing how big this market is, how much independent user research will go into designing for the mobile user?
Brand establishes trust and enforces the user’s use.
Brand establishes trust and enforces the patron’s use. Can you tell me which ones help establish trust and authenticity here? Shown here: University of Virginia Library North Carolina State University Cal Poly Pomona Auburn University Libraries
Search is important Users are used to looking for the search field at the top right. Don't bury your search field.
University of Iowa --- * hides their search in an expanding expanding. * Uses jargon “Mobile Resources” – pretty ambiguous to a non-expert user University of Virginia -- * good prominent search University of Denver -- * not sure what PEAK refers to * does the non-expert student know what WorldCat is?
Sears - Detail Layout You don't want to bury your information
Overstock - Detail Layout Contextual user actions
Catalog Search Washington DC Public Library *refer to http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/hardinmd/2010/03/02/mobile-library-catalogs/
Catalog Search University of Virginia Library Note: - shows availability - shows number of results CONS no image contextual actions? *refer to http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/hardinmd/2010/03/02/mobile-library-catalogs/ Blog article accompanying this picture: Mobile Library Catalogs , by Eric Rumsey, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa Libraries
Catalog Search North Carolina State University Note: - ways to refine/narrow your search to available items - contextual user actions *refer to http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/hardinmd/2010/03/02/mobile-library-catalogs/ Blog article accompanying this picture: Mobile Library Catalogs , by Eric Rumsey, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa Libraries
- evaluating survey? - understanding your users (personas) - understanding user needs (user stories) For the next 45~ minutes, we're going to brainstorm who are your users? - pragmatic personas draw on the post-it notes - what does this product need to do? - writing user stories on post-its
Pragmatic Personas - when you don't have the time to do the thorough research
User Stories act as the boundary to facilitate conversation between many people user story map serves as an excellent that supports ad hoc day to day conversations about the system, its functionality, its users, and the typical lifecycle of use. The stories contained in a typical story map may be high level - they type used in initial backlog formation and planning. But the story map works just like a physical geographical map allowing you quickly find the "place" in the system's workflow where the specific story you're working on is located. Once you've found that location in the story map, a wealth of context comes in with it such as the primary user involved, secondary users and stakeholders important to the process, the goals of the user involved, the work they're engaged in, as well as what they were doing before, and what comes next. User Story Mapping is an an approach to Organizing and Prioritizing user stories Unlike typical user story backlogs, Story Maps: - make visible the workflow or value chain - show the relationships of larger stories to their child stories - help confirm the completeness of your backlog provide a useful context for prioritization - Plan releases in complete and valuable slices of functionality. Source: http://www.agileproductdesign.com/presentations/user_story_mapping/index.html
User research - learn who your users, what they expect to achieve Usability testing - testing the product, not the user. Testing if the product accomplishes a set task. User Experience Treasure Map: http://www.findability.org/archives/000230.php