Casting Off Our Desktop Shackles

No matter how much we try to put ourselves into a mobile first mentality, it is hard for us to do so fully. Our access to PCs prevents us from experiencing mobile the way many in the world do.

We're currently fighting for parity among experiences. We're arguing that the mobile version shouldn't be a dumbed down version of the desktop site.

But we've set our sights too low. In a true Mobile First world, the mobile version should be the best experience. Mobile shouldn't just match the desktop experience, it should exceed it.

Transcript

1. Casting O Our Desktop Shackles Jason Grigsby • @grigs • cloudfour.com Slides: bit.ly/grigs-09-13-2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/theroadisthegoal/372137752/
2. Follow along @grigs bit.ly/grigs-09-13-2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegarfield/4247757731/
3. ere is no mobile web. http://www.flickr.com/photos/robboudon/6035811624/
4. I’m con icted. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudor/4324056624/
5. ere are valid reasons to question mobile context. And despite that, I can’t help but feel… http://www.flickr.com/photos/bourguiboeuf/5364614975/
6. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lintmachine/2306383943/ We’re limiting ourselves.
7. http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/4599750124/ 1. Mobile doesn’t mean taking things away.
8. How Do I Add an RSS Feed to My RSS Reader? Don’t Skip Core Functionality
9. 1024 x 768: Still No Way to Add RSS
10. URLs should go to content, not mobile home.
11. Why go to the desktop web?
12. Great mobile site. Good luck nding it.
13. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in observing people on their mobile devices, it’s that they’ll do anything on mobile if they have the need. Write long emails? Check. Manage complex sets of information? Check. And the list goes on. If people want to do it, they’ll do it on mobile - especially when it’s their only or most convenient option. —Luke Wroblewski lukew.com/ /entry.asp?1333 http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmacox/6095336904/
14. http://www.flickr.com/photos/77799978@N00/5351372848/ ese problems lead many to believe separate sites are evil.
15. “Browser sniffing is a stupid, error-prone and reviled practice, ‘backed’ by a decade of failures.” http://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/4550561194/
17. 25 of 30 sites in Alexa Top 30 use device detection Other ve don’t o er mobile sites!
18. Mobile developers weren’t blind to the problems with UAs. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sam-wood/3255460999/
19. We should learn from mobile developers’ experiences before forging our own path. http://www.flickr.com/photos/aftab/4214254065/
20. Feels odd defending device detection. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dunechaser/2936397690/
21. In my ideal world, device detection is unnecessary. http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaynez/2145618222/
22. And yes, sometimes you feel like you need a shower afterwards. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstar/195805847/
23. http://www.flickr.com/photos/arguez/2247369944/ But this isn’t religion.
24. ese are simply tools. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bre/552152780/
25. Responsible use of device detection. http://www.flickr.com/photos/seven_pillars/3441833846/
26. [THEMATIC_CONSISTENCY] Ensure that content provided by accessing a URI yields a thematically coherent experience when accessed from di erent devices. is is a realization of the One Web (see 3.1 One Web) principle, whereby content should be accessible on a range of devices irrespective of di erences in presentation capabilities and access mechanism. —W3C Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0
27. We’re missing out on major developments that change access to device databases.
28. generate nal markup device database cookie HEAVY LIFTING UA string tacit data see Bryan’s Adaptation presentation for greater detail on this technique application logic to determine device screen size to override the odd property based on existing knowledge to identify device and therefore, screen size data images video And device databases may be a key part of the solution.
29. http://www.flickr.com/photos/brunauto/5062644167/ 2. Our vision of mobile context is often wrong.
30. 80% during misc downtime 76% while waiting in lines 62% while watching TV 69% for point of sale research http://www.flickr.com/photos/missmeng/5327470961
31. TMI: 39% use phone on the toilet.
32. Yes, we can’t know the mobile context. http://www.flickr.com/photos/timcaynes/158599960/
33. But that doesn’t mean mobile isn’t unique and powerful. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparktography/2485147794/
34. Mobile as the 7th Mass Media?
35. 1. Printing press http://www.flickr.com/photos/buschap/3917984966/
36. 2. Recordings http://www.flickr.com/photos/taviona/278461610/
37. 3. Cinema http://www.flickr.com/photos/m4tik/4687194723/
38. 4. Radio http://www.flickr.com/photos/kt/249301268/
39. 5. Television http://www.flickr.com/photos/simon_aughton/2178768452/
40. 6. Internet http://www.flickr.com/photos/lecates/454787692/
41. 7. Mobile http://www.flickr.com/photos/djwudi/382030798/
42. Mobile’s Eight Unique Abilities http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedestriantype/4789244416/
43. http://www.flickr.com/photos/fchouse/2829381653/ 1. PERSONAL 63% do not share phone
44. 2. PERMANENTLY CARRIED ~50% of US admit to sleeping with phone http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/3615287378/
45. 3. ALWAYS ON http://www.flickr.com/photos/gilderic/3517477267/
46. 4. BUILT-IN PAYMENT CHANNEL
47. 5. CREATIVE IMPULSE http://www.flickr.com/photos/d_a_v_i_d_m_/246298437/
48. http://www.flickr.com/photos/memotions/259656126/ 6. ACCURATE MEASUREMENT
49. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythoto/1234638761/ 7. SOCIAL CONTEXT
50. 8. AUGMENTED REALITY http://issuu.com/mkparsley/docs/ikea
51. Mobile is the most borg-like technology we’ve ever seen
52. Inspiring http://www.flickr.com/photos/asphericlens/5661878892/
53. “When a new medium borrows from an existing one, some of what it borrows makes sense, but much of the borrowing is thoughtless, ‘ritual’, and often constrains the new medium. Over time, the new medium develops its own conventions, throwing o existing conventions that don’t make sense.” —John Allsopp, Dao of Web Design
54. What are we borrowing from the previous medium—the PC Internet—that doesn’t make sense for mobile?
55. And can an article written for a previous medium really be the key to a new one?
56. “ e history of mobile phones has been a long slow process of copying what works on the desktop and then sheepishly realizing that it just doesn’t quite work right”
57. “ e history of mobile phones has been a long slow process of copying what works on the desktop and then sheepishly realizing that it just doesn’t quite work right” Him
58. 320 px Too much focus on the smaller screen.
59. Why do we need to look at our phones to get directions? One vibration for left. Two for right. Scott Jenson SXSW 2010 http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhook/4225307113
60. Old saying in mobile: Asia is two years ahead… http://www.flickr.com/photos/romainguy/3673700251/
61. of Europe which is two years ahead… http://www.flickr.com/photos/djou/2079730487
62. of the United States. http://www.flickr.com/photos/davearquati/459024208/
64. “My impression is that there was no computers anymore. Only tablets and phones.” “Some Apple devices, but not that much. Most of the smartphones are Samsung and HTC phones (no surprise here), but also a *lot* of feature phones and not-that-smart-phones (old smart phones). ”
65. It’s fairly certain that the highest-value use will stay predominantly on desktop. —Jakob Nielsen http://www.flickr.com/photos/dplanet/82899080/
66. Most complex tasks have vastly better user experience on the desktop and thus will be performed there. I'm talking anything from researching your next car purchase to learning about a new medical condition (and its associated pharmaceuticals) to managing your investment portfolio. Yes, you might enter a stock trade with your broker's mobile app, but you'll research new mutual funds on the desktop. —Jakob Nielsen
67. http://www.millennialmedia.com/wp-content/images/mobilemix/MM-MobileMix-Dec2010.pdf
68. Unlimited Voice, Text and Web for $40/mo.
71. http://www.flickr.com/photos/acaben/541334636/ e Post-PC Era Didn’t Start with the iPad
72. It started in Asia with mobile phones and spread to developing countries. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjustin/3914923307
73. Connections (millions) % Total YoY Growth % Largest Market Asia-Pacific 3,019 50% 17% China (961M) Africa 648 11% 18% Nigeria (99M) Americas 627 10% 11% Brazil E.Europe 541 9% 6% Russia (231M) W.Europe 539 9% 3% Germany (112M) USA/Canada 367 6% 9% USA (340M) Middle East 330 5% 11% Iran (82M) World 6,071 100% 13% GSMA Predictions for End of 2011
74. Africa has more in common with Asia than Asia does with the United States. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ict4d/3068105816/
75. slideshare.net/CMSummit/ms-internet-trends060710final
76. nytimes.com/2011/04/18/technology/18mobile.html anks Steve Souders!
77. nytimes.com/2011/04/18/technology/18mobile.html anks Steve Souders!
78. 20% of Kenya’s GDP sent through mobile banking. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwanja/3169447879
79. Understanding mobile as the primary and sometimes only device… http://www.flickr.com/photos/e4a-2030/5106562313
80. is di cult when we spend so much time on our PCs. http://www.flickr.com/photos/goobi/4021009835/
81. We often get asked how much to add mobile to desktop. It should be the opposite. http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenhackett/3728570312
82. Mobile is the most important technology since the printing press. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhadley/3527304106/
83. UN urging more mobile for developing countries.
84. A 2005 London Business School study found that for every additional 10 mobile phones per 100 people in a developing country, GDP rises by 0.5%. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/24/mobile-phones-africa-micro nance-farming
85. Sa ron uprising
86. Cellscope puts microscopes in remote areas.
88. Afghan Women Tolerate Beating for Cell Phones in Emerging Market Tanzanian farmers report improved yields via SMS 3 million poor in Africa and South Asia to gain access to mobile phone numbers India Turns to Mobile Phones in Bid to Improve Vaccination Rate U.N. plan provides mobile numbers to poor with Cloud Number Information helps combat food insecurity in Kenya Cambodia: Using text messaging as weapon in malaria war Android Phones Help Poor Farmers in Uganda World changing tech. Not just for the a uent.
89. Want more? Textually.org
90. Support MobileActive.org
93. According to California-based mobile-banking innovator Carol Realini, executive chairman of Obopay: “Africa is the Silicon Valley of banking. e future of banking is being de ned here… It’s going to change the world.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/24/mobile-phones-africa-micro nance-farming
94. http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteafrican/2888960873
95. And really, is the United States that di erent? Or is the story simply not being told? http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats#mobile-only
96. Is there a mobile web? http://www.flickr.com/photos/robboudon/6035811624/
97. http://www.flickr.com/photos/robboudon/6035811624/ Is mobile a new mass media?
98. http://www.flickr.com/photos/robboudon/6035811624/ What about mobile web?
99. If mobile is a new medium, then the mobile web is a bit of a half- breed – it is part mobile medium and part internet medium so it inherits traits from both. —Tim Kadlec
101. A common element in many of the more futuristic stories are devices that are most comparable to mobile phones – always with you, always on. ey don’t stop there though. ey respond to context of environment and adapt based on the users behavioral history – they create a truly personalized and responsive user experience regardless of the situation. —Tim Kadlec
102. A common element in many of the more futuristic stories are devices that are most comparable to mobile phones – always with you, always on. ey don’t stop there though. ey respond to context of environment and adapt based on the users behavioral history – they create a truly personalized and responsive user experience regardless of the situation. —Tim Kadlec Where have I heard this recently?
103. Just-in-time interaction
104. We look at mobile as a small screen version of the our computers… http://www.flickr.com/photos/bendodson/3367856091
105. when we should be looking at mobile as so much more. http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteafrican/3401121885
106. Take inspiration… http://www.flickr.com/photos/m-i-k-e/4383411117
107. BIG THINK
108. Jason Grigsby • @grigs • cloudfour.com Slides: bit.ly/grigs-09-13-2011