Relative or Absolute

Over at UX Matters there's an interesting post, Where Are You Now? Design for the Location Revolution. A lot of the article is a good summary ("immediacy, spontaneity, and specificity" I particularly like) but the one thing that really got me thinking was the distinction between relative and absolute locations.

I won't reiterate, so go read his whole post if they don't make inherent sense to you.

I think it didn't actually go far enough, and in that might have discovered why we feel that mapping is not the app-of-the-future. Who really cares where you are — in absolute, coordinate terms — on the surface of the planet? I'll bet more or less no one. I am a huge nerd and I only refer to my MGRS coordinates a couple times a month.

For the most part, its all relative.

• What will the weather be like in this area this afternoon?
• What italian food is available within 10 minutes of here?
• How do I get from where I am now to the convention center?
• Are any of my friends in the airport yet?
• Does anyone within driving distance have a Toshiba CRT TV?
• Does anyone nearby know about laser smoke detectors?
• Do any of the motels at this upcoming exit actually have vacancies?

Like everything. Not just your mobile life, but your real live life. Mobiles should work the way users think, and not the way the technology works. Practically everything should be relative, contextual and personal.