Deconstructing the Mobile Web

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the mobile Web is largely overplayed hype--the clumsy extrapolation of the behavior and use of a basic set of interfaces from one environment to another incompatible one. As a result of this broken mental model of mobile computing, we are not taking advantage of the real potential this technology offers.

Knemeyer, Dirk. UXmatters (2006). Articles>Web Design>Wireless Web

Designing the Mobile User Experience

Today, we're trying to understand how mobile devices--and by extension the mobile Web--can fit into and even enhance our day-to-day lives. As we do so, we should endeavor to avoid the mistakes we made before we understood the opportunity inherent in the Web.

Cecil, Richard F. UXmatters (2006). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>Mobile

Designing Wearable Performance Support: Insights from the Early Literature    

According to Gery (1991), an electronic performance support system (EPSS) is an electronic environment available to and easily accessible by employees that is structured to provide online access to all information to permit them to do their jobs with minimal intervention by others. Why do we assume that this support must be provided on a computer? If effective performance support must be 'available' and 'easily accessible,' how can designers provide support to people whose jobs require mobility? Such jobs include (but certainly are not limited to) supervising a manufacturing operation, inspecting foods, and repairing equipment. A designer for any EPSS being developed to support jobs such as these would have to take the employees' mobility into account.

Gobert, Danielle. Technical Communication Online (2002). Design>Content Management>Wireless Web

Designing Web Content for Mobile Browsers

Because of the limited display area and processing power, mobile computing devices cannot efficiently render Web content that has been designed for a standard desktop browser. As a result, Web content that is to be viewed, or interacted with, on a mobile device should be designed with these limitations in mind. This article provides general guidelines for the creation of such content, with the ultimate goals of optimizing information display and enhancing human-computer interaction.

Cotton, James and Patrick Commarford. IBM (2005). Articles>Web Design>Wireless Web

Designing Web Sites for PDAs

Imagine that you're riding on the local urban underground railway. It's the morning commute, and the train is packed. The stranger next to you flips methodically through the Times Tribune Chronicle in a way that lands half of the paper in your lap. You want to teach this space invader a lesson. So you tear the paper from her grasp, ball it into a mass, and squeeze with the transformative might of Superman until the lump is shaped into a perfectly readable, rectangular object that can be held comfortably in one hand. This is similar to the challenge of designing content for the PalmPilot. I came upon this analogy while designing a Wired News mini-site for the PalmPilot's AvantGo browser. During the project, I learned some fundamental guidelines that should be kept in mind when designing Web content for a PDA audience, which I'll share over the next few pages. But first I want to put in a word about the importance of the Web to the PDA.

Stowell, Carter. Webmonkey (1999). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>PDA

Develop Wireless Applications with XHTML Mobile Profile

The focus of most mobile technology applications developers is to build new wireless technologies that conform to varying bandwidth and memory limitations. With XHTML Mobile Profile, you can build apps that adhere to hardware requirements for users on different devices and render on multiple handheld devices.

Saleeb, Hany. IBM (2006). Articles>Web Design>Wireless Web>XHTML

Guidelines for WAP Interface Design

Research and user testing has highlighted certain key guidelines for WAP interface development. Just as with any other device, content, design and navigation must be developed in a way that meets the needs of typical users. Some of the more significant recommendations, within each of these categories, are listed below

Cahill, Joan. Frontend Infocentre (2000). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>WAP

How to Make Wireless Directory Services Useful

Wireless directory services need to recognize both the limitations and the benefits of mobile phones, by making search results more to-the-point and context-sensitive.

Baker, Adam. Merges.net (2001). Articles>Information Design>Wireless Web

Improving Web Interaction on Small Displays

Soon many people will retrieve information from the Web using handheld, palmsized or even smaller computers. Although these computers have dramatically increased in sophistication, their display size is – and will remain – much smaller than their conventional, desktop counterparts. Currently, browsers for these devices present web pages without taking account of the very different display capabilities. As part of a collaborative project with Reuters, we carried out a study into the usability impact of small displays for retrieval tasks. Users of the small screen were 50% less effective in completing tasks than the large screen subjects. Small screen users used a very substantial number of scroll activities in attempting to complete the tasks. Our study also provided us with interesting insights into the shifts in approach users seem to make when using a small screen device for retrieval.

Jones, Matt, Gary Marsden, Norliza Mohd-Nasir, Kevin Boone and George Buchanan. Eighth International WWW Conference (1999). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>PDA

Lessons From Google Mobile

Basic problem solving still completely swamps any other creative concern when working on mobile sites. A refreshing blast of Spartan usability problems, mobile site design is uncluttered with your typical mamby-pamby web problems. Can a user get the information, and fast? Answer this question and you're far ahead of everyone else. The design process described was quite effective at powering through a lot of basic usability problems, but struck me as potentially ill suited to a younger project that might still be finding itself.

Lord, Max. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>User Centered Design

Lessons from the Medical Community: Physicians Access Patient Information via PDAs

Genesys, a system of medical care facilities in central Michigan, has introduced an innovative way to couple emerging mobile communication technology with sophisticated medical care. Recently, the hospital system introduced the use of hand-held wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs) by physicians in its 440-bed system, which is made up of three local hospitals merged into one.

Ficorelli, Cindy. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Information Design>Wireless Web>Biomedical

Location-Based Wireless Web Applications  

Imagine that you’re at an amusement park with your children when, in an unguarded moment, the four-year-old wanders away. Today, you would hunt frantically for your missing child. Soon, however, you’ll be able to go to a security office where someone will display your missing child’s location on a map by tracking a cell phone or GPS (Global Positioning System) chip that you rented for the day and strapped to your child’s ankle. Science fiction? Prodgenious (www.prodgenious.com) has offered this service since the summer of 2000.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2001). Articles>Web Design>Wireless Web

Make it Mobile

Handheld devices are everywhere. How can you start delivering Web content that can be viewed on these devices? This article discusses the challenges of writing for these devices, what specific issues are involved. Also included in this discussion is a case study of one organization going mobile and the challenges it faces.

Rose, Emma. EServer (2001). Design>Information Design>Wireless Web

Mobile Phone Usability

Nokia are the world's leading maker of mobile phones. Their user-centred approach to developing products has been identified as one crucial factor behind this success. 'Nokia starts its planning from what the consumer actually wants while Ericsson and Motorola tend to be more engineering driven' commented Mark Davies Jones of Schroder Solomon Smith Barney. Anecdotal evidence and our own previous observations suggest that consumers find Nokia's mobile phones easier to use than many of their competitors and often take this into account - either consciously or sub-consciously - when making their purchasing decision. Frontend decided to evaluate the usability of a Nokia phone, the popular 3210, against a competitor, the older Siemens C25. We found that the Nokia is significantly easier to use in a number of areas.

Magennis, Mark. Frontend Infocentre (2001). Design>Usability>Wireless Web

Mobile Phones: Europe's Next Minitel?

Europe's cellular phone system is far superior to that in the United States. However, telephones will not be the platform for the mobile Internet. Given this, Europe's advantage may in fact be an obstacle to real innovations, as France's experience with Minitel shows.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2001). Design>Information Design>Wireless Web

Mobile: The State of the Art

The world of mobile phones is a jungle of technologies with few established standards that, in some ways, resembles the early days of personal computing. Here the author presents an impressionistic landscape of this world, a glimpse of the near future, and thoughts on what it might mean for IAs.

Smith, Shawn. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Articles>Information Design>Wireless Web

The Possibilities Are Wireless: Designing and Delivering Information in the Wireless Space    

Wireless communication is poised to become the next big thing since the advent of the Web. This article discusses the specific challenges associated with designing and delivering information in the wireless world and examines the impact that the wireless exchange of information will have on the creation of business and consumer services. Specifically, the article explores 1. Tools and technologies of wireless communication such as WAP and WML 2. The challenges of wireless communication and techniques to overcome them 3. Methods for designing information for the wireless world The article examines the interrelationship between technology and communication. It should help technical communicators understand the potential of wireless communication, its impact on our profession, and its new possibilities.

Chu, Steve W. Technical Communication Online (2001). Design>Information Design>Wireless Web>WAP

Put Your Content in My Pocket

The iPhone includes a sophisticated new Safari browser. This version is touted as 'the most advanced web browser on a portable device' and from what I've seen, it deserves this accolade. So what does this mean for you? Millions of visitors accessing your content on a small display with very high resolution. At some point in the near future, you're going to want to take a look at your current site design to make sure that it looks good and works well on this new device and its Mobile Safari browser.

Hockenberry, Craig. List Apart, A (2007). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>CSS

Put Your Content in my Pocket, Part II

Mobile Safari--unlike other browsers--does not maintain a constant size for content viewing. Because of the small screen, the content area is constantly adjusted to maximize the space available for the task at hand.

Hockenberry, Craig. List Apart, A (2007). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>Web Browsers

Reading with RSVP on a Small Screen: Does Font Size Matter?

Devices with Small Screen Interfaces (SSI), such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), are in great demand due to their small size and their many functions. One  important drawback, however, is the limited amount of real estate that can be devoted to the presentation of text. When considering this limitation, questions arise as to the best way to present electronic text so that both the quality of the reading experience and user preference is optimized.

Russell, Mark C., John Hull and Rose Wesley. Usability News (2001). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web

Reliability and Validity of the Mobile Phone Usability Questionnaire  

This study was a follow-up to determine the psychometric quality of the usability questionnaire items derived from a previous study (Ryu and Smith-Jackson, 2005), and to find a subset of items that represents a higher measure of reliability and validity. To evaluate the items, the questionnaire was administered to a representative sample involving approximately 300 participants. The findings revealed a six-factor structure, including (1) Ease of learning and use, (2) Assistance with operation and problem solving, (3) Emotional aspect and multimedia capabilities, (4) Commands and minimal memory load, (5) Efficiency and control, and (6) Typical tasks for mobile phones. The appropriate 72 items constituted the Mobile Phone Usability Questionnaire (MPUQ), which evaluates the usability of mobile phones for the purpose of making decisions among competing variations in the end-user market, determining alternatives of prototypes during the development process, and evolving versions during an iterative design process.

Ryu, Young Sam and Tonya L. Smith-Jackson. Journal of Usability Studies (2006). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>Surveys

Seven Usability Guidelines for Websites on Mobile Devices

Usability and page design for websites on mobile phones is very different to that of PCs. These essential mobile usability guidelines will help ensure your site works well for mobile visitors.

Warsi, Abid. Webcredible (2007). Design>Web Design>Wireless Web>Usability

Small Screens, Big Lessons: Learning from Well Designed Small Screen Interfaces

By utilizing techniques and design principles that support flow, small screen interfaces can further increase user satisfaction and minimize the sense of time on task. Lesson methods include 'Using progressive disclosure' and 'Balancing Visual and Structural Simplicity.'

Hibbitts, Paul D. SlideShare (2006). Presentations>Web Design>Wireless Web

Solving Mobile Challenges with Psychology-Driven Information Architecture

As the field of information architecture matures, we are beginning to understand the new challenges it raises for wireless media. This article suggests that some of these challenges can be best addressed through an approach called 'psychology-driven information architecture,' which bases design decisions and solutions on the psychological profile of the end user.

Napchi, Oded. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Design>Information Design>Wireless Web>Web Design