2. 2 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Outline
Mobile: Constraints and opportunities
Mobile UX design guidelines and examples
Responsive web design
The UX design process for mobile
UAE mGov apps study
3. 3 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
What is Mobile UX ?
User’s perception of the usefulness, usability,
and desirability of a mobile application based
on the sum of all their direct and indirect
interactions with it.
Forrester Mobile App Design Best Practices
5. 5 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Mobile is….
Constraining
– Smaller Screen
– Variable connectivity & speed
– Limited battery life
– Storage
– Harder text input
– No Flash (maybe)
– Potentially expensive (data plans)
Liberating
– Use it anywhere
– Location services
– Orientation
– Camera
– WiFi
6. 6 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
The User, Content and Context
Context
UsersContent
Context determines
type & form of content
Context sets constraints
& expectations
Content provides experience Users do task
7. 7 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Mobile User Behaviours (from Google)
Urgent Now
– Find & search
– Create / edit
– Location specific
Repetitive Now
– Status (email, sports, Facebook etc)
– Data snacking
Bored Now
– Play
– Distractions
http://www.mobify.com/blog/understanding-mobile-user-experience-the-3-modes-of-mobile-usage/
8. 8 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
A couple “Laws” relevant for mobile
Hick’s Law: The more things there are to choose from,
the more time it takes to make a decision
– Limit the choices you offer at once
Fitts's Law: The time required to select something is a
function of the distance to the target and the size of
the target
– Make the tap targets big enough
9. 9 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
What makes a usable mobile interface?
Meet users' needs quickly
– ‘immediate’ information – directions, phone
numbers, addresses or instant entertainment.
– Shortcuts through LBS, links to call, email
Don't repeat the navigation on every page
– Page real estate is particularly precious on a mobile
device screen.
– Where as normal WebPages display the navigation
options on each and every page, this is not always a
viable option on a mobile device.
– The Content often IS the navigation
10. 10 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
What makes a useable mobile interface?
Clearly distinguish selected items
– Selected items should stand out from everything else –
by changing font, colour, size, borders etc.
Make user input as simple as possible
– Text input is limited on mobile devices – avoid it where
possible.
– Offer list picks, date barrels
– Big targets to pick from
Take advantage of phone features
– Camera
– Geo-Location
– Bar code scanner
11. 11 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Responsive designs - What Is It?
A definition: Utilising CSS media queries,
HTML5, JavaScript and modern browser
features to display HTML content in the most
suitable format for the browser requesting
the content
“Rather than tailoring disconnected designs to
each of an ever-increasing number of web
devices, we can treat them as facets of the same
experience”
Ethan Marcotte – A List Apart
13. 13 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
HTML
CSS
JQueries/Javascript
Fluid Grids
Responsive design - What Is It?
14. 14 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
RWD has distinct advantages
Universal compatibility across
smartphones and tablets
Marketing-friendly - One site to
maintain; One strategy to
implement
SEO-friendly - A single URL
makes it easier for search
engines to find your content
Web Analytics - Performance
tracking is centralised
No redirections or impeding
page load times
15. 15 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
HTML
CSS
JQueries/Javascript
Fixed Grids
Adaptive design - What Is It?
16. 16 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Responsive designs - Good idea?
Q: Are the tasks performed cross-platform the same?
Yes No
Responsive
Designs
Dedicated Mobile
Site
Factors:
Less customisation
Reduced support
Imperfect Design
Factors:
Fully customised
Fully supported
‘Ideal’ layout
17. 17 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Responsive patterns - Basic
Only a single transformation.
Remaining adaptation is very gradual
and is merely a narrowing of the initial
layout.
Less resource intensive but still elegant.
On 7” tablet mobile (portrait) and
landscape (tablet/desktop).
http://designshack.net/articles/css/5-really-
useful-responsive-web-design-patterns/
18. 18 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Responsive patterns - Mondrian
• Three large areas
of content
separated by
breaks.
• Becomes a vertical
layout.
19. 19 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Mobile First
Focus on the most important things first
“If you design mobile first, you create
agreement on what matters most. You can
then apply the same rationale to the
desktop/laptop version of the web site.”
Ethan Marcotte – A List Apart
20. 20 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
The mobile UX cycle
Source: strategist.net
21. 21 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
1. Assess current situation - Mobile Strategy
Do weed need a mobile
offering?
Yes No
App Site App Site App Site
Stand
Alone
Resp
Stand
Alone
Resp
Stand
Alone
Resp
Questions:
• What type of devices are they pointing at your site with?
• What tasks do they undertake?
• What content/features do they need?
WindowsAndroidiOS
Mobile web stats =
>10%
22. 22 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
2. Understand your users
Who are
your users?
Prominence of search
Depth of navigation
Presentation of content
Just
browsing
I know what
I want!
Impact on the design guidelines?
23. 23 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
3. Prioritise Mobile Features
Who are
your users?
Web stats
Content workshops
Ask your users (FG’s, CrowdSourcing)
Just
browsing
I know what
I want!
What are the primary tasks?
24. 24 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Consider the opportunity of each design element
Display only relevant content.
Keep it short and simple.
Use the available phone features.
– LBS, camera etc.
Make the design interruptible.
– Save state often.
4. Design with mobile considerations
26. 26 Mobile UX Overview | 30/09/2013
Some Final Thoughts
The mobile web is different than the static PC
Understand the various contexts of use
Consider mobile first
Native app, web app or hybrid?
Define constraints – e.g. screen size
Is a ‘Responsive’ Design suitable?
Do research with users and prototypes
Get something on device ASAP & research in context
