Part A

Each team member is to select a topic and produce an ESSAY of not more than 1500 words

Mobile UX

Mobile user experience (UX) design refers to the design of positive experiences during the use
of mobile devices and wearables, and applications or services running on such devices. The
mobile market, like the contexts in which mobiles are used, places unique requirements on the
design of the user experience. Mobile UX design focuses strongly on efficiency and
discoverability. Mobile users engage with their devices at crucial moments and only for short
periods. Their experiences need to be personalized, efficient and enjoyable in order to keep
them engaged and ensure their continued use of such items. Therefore, mobile UX design
focuses on delivering devices and services that are streamlined to serve spontaneous user needs
that change with the context the user finds himself or herself in, while keeping the interaction
levels as low as possible. For instance, a user may have two free hands and fewer distractions
while standing in a coffee shop than she would if, five minutes later, she must grasp a pole or
railing on a bus traveling on an uneven road.

Another significant challenge for mobile UX is discoverability (i.e., how easily potential users
can find the service or app) due to the sheer size of app marketplaces. For the same reason,
retention and engagement also pose significant challenges, since users are often able to find
plentiful and free alternatives to suit their needs. For mobile UX designers, the careful shaping
of the mobile user experience—from discovery to operation and co-operation with other
devices or services—is a key goal in creating positive and personally meaningful experiences
for users. Designing for mobile also involves appreciating the need for brand consistency and
the users’ expectations of content regarding their threshold for inferior versions of “full-
fledged” designs they would find on computers at home or in the office.
Designing for the Mobile Environment – Some Simple Guidelines

To design for mobile, then it’s likely you’re going to need to consider the way that the device
is used and the specifics of the device itself. There are some general principles that can help
designers for mobile get started but don’t forget that these don’t replace the need for user
research. They are guidelines not hard and fast rules. There are many things to consider when
designing for mobile and while many are standard UX considerations; there are going to be
mobile specific design considerations too. Are you going to integrate your mobile offering with
your current offering? Will you use responsive design or adaptive design if you do? A lot of
this will boil down to context. E.g the context in which the mobile device will be used. If your
users access the mobile web from their desks, that’s awesome, but many users don’t. They’re
going to be trying to use them in the supermarket, on their daily commute, on the walk to the
coffee shop, etc. That means you’re going to have to consider how to reduce distractions and
make it easy for the user to focus on the task in hand too.

Josh Clark, the author of Tapworthy- Designing Great iPhone Apps, offers three categories for
mobile web access: (Gomma, 2004)

 Microtasking: When the user interacts with their device for brief but frenzied periods
of activity
 Local: When the user wants to know what’s going on around them
 Bored: When the user has nothing better to do and is looking to be entertained or
otherwise diverted
 Basic Design Considerations for the Mobile Web
 Small Screens
 You don’t have as much screen real estate for mobile devices as you do for PCs and
laptops. That means, normally, you’ll be designing for multiple screen sizes. You need
to make a decision early as to whether to use responsive design (where the device
handles the changes in display) or adaptive design (where your servers handle the
changes).
A good process to follow would be: (Apple, 2010)

 Group device types based on similar screen sizes and try to keep this to a manageable
number of groups
 Define content rules and design adaption rules that enable you to display things well on
each group of devices
 Try to adhere as closely to web standards (W3) as possible when implementing flexible
layouts

Keep Navigation Simple

Keypads and touch screens don’t make for precise navigation like mice do – so try to:
(Educational Research , 2013)

 Prioritize navigation based on the way users work with functionality – the most popular
go at the top
 Minimize the levels of navigation involved
 Ensure labelling is clear and concise for navigation
 Offer short-key access to different features
 Remember to offer a 30x30 pixel space for touch screen tap points
 Ensure that links are visually distinct and make it clear when they have been activated
too
 Make it easy to swap between the mobile and full site (if you choose to implement
separate versions)

Keep Content to a Minimum

The minimalistic approach in design took the world by storm, and it remains to be widely used
today. It was no surprise that it also influenced today’s mobile app UX design. Its simplicity
already became the metaphor for a business’ professionalism and credibility. Who knew that
something so simple and uncomplicated can say so much more? A pattern following a
minimalistic approach is ideal to create a pleasing experience for mobile users. In a
significantly smaller screen, they do not need to be crowded with overly-decorated apps or
websites. What they seek is functionality and ease of navigation. (An, et al., 2015)
This is where a designer’s creativity will truly shine. It is easy to make a simple design, but it
can be a challenge to make it outstanding. Once you get that perfect balance of simplicity and
uniqueness, your app or website will surely stand out.Don’t overwhelm your users – respect
the small screen space. Keep content to a minimum. Make sure that content is universally
supported on all devices or avoid it. Think Flash and then don’t use it, for example.

 Make page descriptions short and to the point – for relevant bookmarks.

Reduce the Inputs Required from Users

The less the user has to fiddle with their phone; the more they’re going to enjoy using your
mobile web offering. Consider:

 Keeping URLs short.

 Offering alternative input mechanisms (video, voice, etc.)
 Minimizing inputs in forms (you can always ask for more data when the user logs on
to the desktop)
 Allowing permanent sign in (most smartphones are password or fingerprint protected –
the risks of staying logged in are less than on the desktop)
 Keep scrolling to a minimum and only allow scrolling in one direction

Continuous Integrated Experiences

As users move between mobile and the desktop they’re going to expect similar experiences.
Remember to: Maintain continuity. If they log into your webstore on mobile they should be
able to track orders and make purchases just like they would on the desktop. Maintain
consistency. (An, et al., 2015)Offer the option to switch between mobile and desktop offerings
at will. Maintain brand. The look and feel of each version should be similar. Mobile is different
from the traditional desktop environment and while standard UX and usability considerations
are needed in a mobile context – the mobile environment also brings new design considerations.
It’s important for mobile designers to pay attention to the details in order to deliver the best
possible user experiences. In today’s world, there are a lot of trends and guidelines to follow
for success. Fortunately, you won’t have to deal with it alone. Fireart Studio has helped plenty
of businesses reach their digital success dream. These were made possible through our use of
custom mobile app design patterns, fresh and well-executed ideas, and appropriate tools.

References
An, T., Thi, N. & Chen, Y.-C., 2015. Design and Development of a Cloud-based Trip-Tracking
System. 39th Annual International Computers, Software & Applications Conference, 2(3), pp.
638 - 639.

Apple, 2010. EMS Tracker - EMT, Fire and Ambulance GPS Log. [Online]
Available at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ems-tracker-emt-fire-and-ambulance-gps-
log/id568791190?mt=8
[Accessed 29 November 2018].

Educational Research , 2013. Chatbot technology: A possible means of unlocking.

International Research Journal , 4(2), pp. 218 - 219.

Gomma, H., 2004. Designing Real-Time and Embedded Systems with the COMET/UML
method. UML & SDL, 2(1), pp. 44-49.

Gui, G. & Scott, P. D., 2009. Measuring Software Component Reusability by. JOURNAL OF
COMPUTERS, 4(9), pp. 797-805.

Reem Alnaniha, O. O., 2016. Mapping HCI Principles to Design Quality of Mobile User.
Procedia Computer Science 94 ( 2016 ), 23(11), p. 75 – 82.