Reflecting on over 20 years of designing around mobile technology, products and services, Jason descibes some of the lessons he has learned along the way. He then uses these as a basis to help identify how these might help us identify new opportunities and tackle key challenges as we cerate new mobile solutions.
4. The worst keynote synopsis ever
Potential Opportunities and Associated Challenges for
Designing Valuable Futures based around Mobile
Experiences
A lot of focus around mobile UX seems to be around designing
responsively, adapting to different platform paradigms, or
designing for gestures, with little focus on the powers we now
wield by having a super computer in our pockets. With the
apparent advent of the Internet of Things and never-ending
hype, what are the potential future trajectories of solutions for
people on the move? What are the form factors, new service
approaches and challenges associated with these?
5. The worst keynote synopsis ever
Potential Opportunities and Associated Challenges for
Designing Valuable Futures based around Mobile
Experiences
A lot of focus around mobile UX seems to be around designing
responsively, adapting to different platform paradigms, or
designing for gestures, with little focus on the powers we now
wield by having a super computer in our pockets. With the
apparent advent of the Internet of Things and never-ending
hype, what are the potential future trajectories of solutions for
people on the move? What are the form factors, new service
approaches and challenges associated with these?
12. Portable music studio — 1995
A future mobile music studio
concept designed at school
– Nintendo SNES inspired
peripheral inputs
– Minidisc inspired central brain I couldn’t find the original sketches, but it was
sort of like this but minidisc sized
14. Early web design — 1998–2000
Extended placement creating websites for SME businesses
– 1 Website a day
– Scanning, copywriting, visual design, HTML, browser testing
(2-3h design, 6-7h testing and tweaking)
– IE, Netscape, Mac, PC
– 640x480 – 1280x1024
– <30k for a web page
– <13k for a gif/flash banner
15. Key learnings
– You have to test with different platforms and screen sizes
– File size really matters
16. The Don makes some prescient predictions
The invisible computer
21. Key learnings
– Divergent appliances restrict modal errors
– We will still desire objects
– Key technologies will be distributed:
screens, internet access, sensors
– Predictions rarely turn out as you expect them
31. eInk and LCD (with a stylus)
AccountMessages
Message
SearchCommunityCommunityBookshelf CommunityCommunity
Profile NetworkMembers
Mark
Friend
Currently reading favourites
Land rover legend 4.5 engineering weekly 5
the rise and fall of 4
Mcdonalds
Warren
Friend colleague
Currently reading favourites
Angella’s ashes 4 cre@te online 4
design of everyday 4.5 chi journal 4
things
Julie
Partner
Currently reading favourites
Harry potter 4 silence of the lambs 5
hannibal 4 wallpaper 4
wallpaper 3.5
Tony
Colleague
Currently reading favourites
The art of innovation 5 design week 4
hannibal 4 sony design 4
vision of the future 3.5
Leisure Business Interest
32.
33.
34. Amazon Via — 2001
A future concept for digital
books, making Amazon a
provider of e-books for niche
material within communities
– E-Ink display
– Digital Books
– Basic page turning
– Annotations
– Thumb controls
– Necklace projector
AccountMessages
Message
SearchCommunityCommunityBookshelf CommunityCommunity
Profile NetworkMembers
Mark
Friend
Currently reading favourites
Land rover legend 4.5 engineering weekly 5
the rise and fall of 4
Mcdonalds
Warren
Friend colleague
Currently reading favourites
Angella’s ashes 4 cre@te online 4
design of everyday 4.5 chi journal 4
things
Julie
Partner
Currently reading favourites
Harry potter 4 silence of the lambs 5
hannibal 4 wallpaper 4
wallpaper 3.5
Tony
Colleague
Currently reading favourites
The art of innovation 5 design week 4
hannibal 4 sony design 4
vision of the future 3.5
Leisure Business Interest
35. Amazon Kindle — 2007
– E-Ink display
– Digital Books
– Basic page turning
– Annotations
X No thumb controls
X No necklace projector
36. Mycestro — 2014
– Thumb controller
– Finger buttons
X No necklace projector
37. Airplay and chromecasting — 2010–15
– Other ways to transmit
information to different displays
– Finger buttons
X No necklace projector
38. Key learnings
– Understanding context inspires radical ideas that could work
– Ideas are easy — delivery is hard
– Prototyping with wire and blue tack makes you look like an idiot
– One day we’ll have necklace projectors (or maybe not)
49. Designed a blended research approach
Interview
Surveys
Week 3 Week 5Week 2 Week 4
Introduce
plans to
end users
Week 1
Initial demo
Day 1- Present
plan to users
Day 1-Demo
Map & device
Testing
Day (1-30)- Diary studies.
Week 1-6 (day 5)- Attitude surveys
Day 1&2-Intro.
interviews
Day 5- Market
survey
Day 4 & 5- User
testing
1st week in October – 3rd week in November
Week 6
Day 5- Market
survey
Day 4&5-
de-briefing
Week 7
Day 1- Present
plan to users
Day 1-Demo
Map & device
Day 2-Intro.
interviews
Day 5-
de-briefing
Day (1-30)- Diary studies.
Week 1-6 (day 5)- Attitude surveys
Day 5- Market
survey
Day 5- Market
survey
Day 4- User
testing
Day 1&2- User
interviews
Day 1- User
interviews
54. Key learnings
– Mobile technology could empower developing communities
– Mobile technology can opens up new infrastructure
– It’s hard to fit into established workflows
– Healthcare professionals have a lot of wearable technology already
55. Improving safety and efficiency of wind turbine maintenance
Visual Eyes mobile
2011
58. Targeting a maintenance agent
2 3
3
5
5
4 6
6
8
8
7
9
6 Response to alert
As Bob has almost finished
his final task he agrees
with the Operations
Controller that if he can
complete the job in 15
minutes he will, otherwise
he will have to leave the site
and come back another time.
7 Completes task
Bob completes the final task in
the job list and taps to add
more details (photo/notes).
He takes a photograph of
something that he has
spotted that will need to be
monitored and adds a note
with the date and his
comments, before getting in his
van ready to move on to the next
job.
5 Alerts
While he is still on-site
working, Bob receives an
alert notifying him that there
are electrical storms forecast
in the area he is working.
Bob dismisses the alert by
calling Operations Control to
check in and get advice on what
he should do.
1 Planning for the day ahead
Over breakfast Bob uses his phone to look at
the jobs he has scheduled for the day. He
taps to view details of each job
(location, weather forecast, time
allocation etc) so he can plan his
day.
2 On the way to Turbine
Bob gets into his van and drives to
the location of the first job on
his list. If he needs to he can
view the location on a map
and link through to his
iPhone's GPS enabled
maps application to get
directions.
3 At the Turbine
When he arrives at the wind
farm/turbine, Bob taps the
start button in the job detail
screen. He is asked to verify
his ID by entering a
password/code. When this
code is successfully verified he
receives a code via SMS which will
give him access to the turbine.
4 Completing Tasks
As he completes each of the tasks
for the job, Bob taps to mark it
completed. (this logs his progress
and updates the display at
Operations Control).
Visual Eyes Mobile App User Journey
60. Key learnings
– Mobile solutions don’t need to reflect desktop counterparts
– Mobile technology can create new use cases
– Use older insights to inform new solutions
62. Timesheet applications fail
– Boring
– People forget
– Entering time against different job codes is hard
– Designed for resource and account managers, not ‘talent’
66. Key learnings
– Sound can provide tactile feedback
– Sound can engage others
– Bad sound can annoy
– You don’t have to follow a platform paradigm
– But a strong metaphor can always help
68. Clinical system for an A+E
– Leapfrog competition
– Triage patients better and more efficiently
– Reduce waiting times
– Minimise data workflow errors
78. Key learnings
– Different users and usage contexts demand different UI
– GUIs haven’t moved on that much from hypercard
– Truly touch interfaces are rare but allow for eye contact
– Touch interfaces suit more coarse interactions
– Quickly prototyping and animating engages stakeholders
82. Key learnings
– Gimmicks do attract attention
– Advanced technology is not enough
– Design can empower through providing usable and meaningful solutions
– Connect to the wider system
84. A service design challenge
Icons created by Vicons Design from the Noun Project
?
– Helps people unlock London
– Mobile apps and wider digital services
– Spaces, places, people, vehicles, interactions
85. Mobile diary and movement tracking
Digital diaryMovement tracking Battery pack
+ Needs
86. – Client
– Call centre services company
– Brand agency
– Marketing and advertising company
– App development company
– Systems integrator
– Product strategy consultancy
– Political negotiations
– PR groups
– Maintenance company
– Hardware companies
– Payment provider
Key project partners
88. – Proposition
– Service ideas
– Marketing ideas
– Design details
– Language
A lot of opinions about everything
A lot of overlaps in what we contribute to
89. We have heated debates on UI
Product designers Me
– Engage people
– Less words, more imagery
– Less steps
– Smaller narrow font
– Subtlety
– Reference cool app UI
– Be clear to people
– More words
– Clear steps
– Readable font
– Contrast
– Reference UI research
Visual simplicity Conceptual simplicity
90. Copywriting is often the saviour
– Selling ideas
– Explaining functions
– Working within tight spaces
– Expressing the brand
So much of what we do in User Experience ends
up being about the words we use
91. Key learnings
– Mobile diary studies help to catch people in the moment
– Mobile phone batteries don’t last
– People love battery packs
– Visual designers getting more influence
– Old stool usability and accessibility is being left behind
– Service and UX sensitive copywriting is a rare skill
92. – Think beyond the device
– Find ways to engage people
– Consider how your solution co-exists in a wider system
– Visual designers are getting more influence
– Usability and accessibility is getting forgotten about
– We’re copying bad examples
– Optimisation is as important in 2015 as it was in 2000
Key lessons from 20+ years
163. 2 types of simplicity*
Visual
– Less words
– Less clutter
– More attractive
– Cleaner
– Clearer visually
– Hidden controls and options
Conceptual
– More words
– More to arrange
– Less engaging
– Can be too much to parse
– Options are clearer
– Exposed options
*An oversimplification in itself
192. Design skills are important across all of them
Elements +
interactions
Screens +
flows
Apps OS App stores Devices Environments
+ geographies
Tap me please
Different levels of abstraction that we can design around
193. User research
Sound design
Motion graphics
Visual language
Information design
Information architecture
Interaction design
Experience strategy
Elements +
interactions
Screens +
flows
Apps OS App stores Devices Environments
+ geographies
Tap me please
194. Uniting the worlds of physical products with digital services
Cohere the Physical and Digital
195. A recipe for integrated products?
+ +Physical
Product
Digital
Interface
Digital
Service
Integrated
product
=
221. 3 strategies
Get (and stay)
on the radar
Unlock the
potential
Connect to the
wider system
1 2 3
Engage Empower Embrace
Jean-Philippe CabarocCreated by Pantelis GkavosCreated by Joel Bryant
222. Go to where people are, and listen with your eyes
Understand behaviours in context
224. The world
The products and
services that people will
use and the context of
that usage
The user
How they see the
world and how they
need to manipulate it
225. The world
The products and
services that people will
use and the context of
that usage
The user
How they see the
world and how they
need to manipulate it
Environment User
Situation Task
System
FamiliarityEcosystem
Intent
229. — IBM, 1980
customers didn’t like the
solution, not because of flaws in
the recognition but because of a
host of hitherto-unseen
environmental challenges
IBM voice UI
230. Speaking taxed the subject’s throat
There was concern for privacy
Awkward in a communal setting
233. We have all the parts already
We just need to remix them in our own style
Goals
– Think beyond interfaces + devices
– Empower technology
– Engage people
– Embrace wider systems
– Understand the real context
Key tactics
– Connect, calibrate + create with others
– Keep learning from each other
– Think beyond one person’s answers
REMIXING User Experience