You reach for your mobile phone, but not to make a call. More than likely, you intend to do something else. Perhaps send a text message, an email or utilize a web application to perform some other special task. The latter is fairly new to all of us. The mobile web may be in its infancy but that doesn’t mean that we have to treat it like an infant.
Like all good platforms this one needs applications that are suited to its strengths and potential. Mobile devices are evolving at an accelerated pace, becoming as powerful as some of the computers from a few years ago. When you reach into your pocket you aren’t retrieving a mere telephone anymore. Modern day mobile devices are location-aware, Internet-connected, portable communications platforms.
Many developers utilize one of two core mobile capabilities: communication and web browsing. It’s the latter, web applications, that are of particular interest. Most of the mobile devices on the market today have built-in browsers and vary in their ability to accurately render the web (with smart phones currently occupying the higher-end end of that spectrum). Because, more and more, people are interacting with the Internet via mobile browsers, there is a growing need for web applications that are specifically designed with this platform in mind.
Some things that should be considered when building a better web application for a mobile device.
Users don’t deserve to have a watered down version of a website. They deserve something that will get them to your information or perform actions while they are on the go.
Your mobile site should not be an afterthought, it should be a part of your digital strategy
Consider how user’s will interface with your site. Keep in mind that they may undoubtedly have a small keyboard, and will be multitasking.
Test, test, and test again. Before you release it test it vigorously. Make sure that it works on as many devices as possible and that you are providing a positive experience.
If it’s a web application consider its purpose in the mobile space. If they are bored they will play bejeweled on their phone not play with your app. Give them a tool that they need in their life to do something, not to fill time.
Think about the context. Think about how they are Interacting and when to create the best, and most effective, mobile experience.
If you consider all of these things when building your mobile web applications you’ll be ahead of the pack. We are living the future right now. Our phones are doing things that we could have only dreamed of a few years back. This isn’t the Zack Morris phone, these are some of the most powerful communications devices available and they will only get better. To ensure the longevity of our applications, we need to continually improve the interactive experience on the mobile platform.
I had the pleasure of being part of the Module 09 Midwest Digital Strategy conference. Based on the response of people that attended, and the traffic online it was a huge success. We were able to take the top top trend on Twitter beating out Hannah Montana, and Oprah. There was a lot of live blogging going on, just take a look at the #module09 hash tag.
I was also a presenter at the conference. I had the privilege of being a part of a great group of thought leaders in the digital strategy space. We come from all areas of the space, and definitely offer different points of views.
Also have to give a huge shout-out to Terry Bean, who was our MC for the day. With little preparation he was able to come up with some very entertaining introductions for each speaker. This was my first time meeting Terry but man did he leave a great impression!
His partner in crime, Charlie Wollbrg (@CharlieCurve) was also keeping things moving by being an online moderator. He kept the conversation going online on Twitter and Ustream.
Stop trying to build a better mouse trap
My presentation was on why brands need to stop trying to lure their audience into their web properties, and instead try to enrich their lives with it. This means that they need to make their content live beyond the walls of their web site. Customers are no longer just a part of the transaction, they are now part of the company.
This is especially apparent online as customers have a voice, that voice has the ability to reach a much bigger audience than it once did. As Ken Burbary presented “every person online can be an influencer.” Of course there are levels of influence but you have to treat every customer as that influencer.
Giving them the opportunity to own the brand, and build a movement can create astounding results. One example I presented was the Charmin, Sit or Squat application for iPhone. This application has had wild success but really has a weak tie to Charmin’s products. I’d dare say it is not really selling toilet paper, but it is engaging the consumer. The consumer is learning to trust Charmin not only for quality products, but as a reliable source of information. That relationship will surely extend into the transaction.
I then explored what else we can learn from mobile applications, because many websites try to do too much. Mobile on the other hand needs to be a clear, and concise feature-set. Your user doesn’t need access to everything, they only need the information that they will use on the go. Then making it so they can connect with friends/family via the mobile tools allows them to share that information as well. It all boils down to allowing them to own the brand, and putting your brand in their hand.
That was the gist of the presentation, and certainly just the tip of the ice berg. Here were my slides:
At first I was like… hmm, do I want to be soothing? Then Brandon Chesnutt told me that it really helped with presenting the information in bite sized pieces. I’ll definitely take that as a huge compliment.
The entire experience was excellent, and the relationships that I built during the whole conference will be a great take away. It after all really does come down to building long lasting relationships both online and offline. I’m looking forward to doing this again next year! There are too many people to thank because we had a ton of great people involved in the conference. To all of you, thank you!
Some images of the conference taken by Brandon Chesnutt:
For those of you that have watched this site over the past few years you’ve probably noticed one thing. I like to give it a facelift pretty frequently. It had been awhile since the last refresh and it was time. I stayed with Wordpress again, still love it! I added in a few new features with more that I am playing with.
I’ll look to add a few more features but I wanted to get this out there first. I’ve been working on a new look for awhile (off and on) and time that it saw the light of day. I don’t like refining something over and over, and never releasing it. I would rather get it to a stage I am happy with and then get it out there.
So here it is. More updates to come. If you have any feedback let me know.
We had a fabulous turnout tonight for the tweetup. I was pleasently shocked by the showing. Pulling a bchesnutt I had a list to make sure to capture everyones names. We even had some people that weren’t yet on Twitter show-up.
I’m sure this will be the first of many Tweetups in Toledo. I’m sure there were more that made it out that didn’t sign in, so if you want to be added to the list please let me know! Hope to see you out there next time!
