All posts tagged as "Product Ideas"

In a number of recent projects, we’ve wanted to help users by actually giving relevant information on how to download and install a file. This sort of thing is regularly done appropriately for high end phones (S60, Palm, Blackberry, iPhone, WinMob), because the install process and messaging is consistent for devices on the platform.

Things get more difficult for feature phones. Has the operator blocked access? Will there be a “mother may I” for each access? Can the user dismiss it? What will it say? How does the user find the downloaded content?

What I’m thinking about is a repository of instructions for users, based on class of use (such as always needs access to the web) and device. An application would detect the device and render appropriate instructions from the repository.

A download web page, for example, would give accurate instructions on how to find the specific content on the user’s device, with the instructions pulled from the repository library. As this is a key failure point in using applications, this would be helpful to both users and developers.

Please, post a reply in comments. This may be something we can work together to solve.

I just received an email flier promoting a Mobile Local Search conference. I briefly considered the idea of attending or speaking, but decided not to. Interestingly, this came the same day as a recorded interview with VC Chip Austin of mobile-focused i-Hatch Ventures by mocoNews, which covers a bit about the local search space.

I see mobile local search as an enabling technology, like voice over IP (or IP itself). Or even Google. Take a search of online assets – business listings, tourist listings, movies, classified ad listings, and service points like ATMs – and filter or sort them by location. It’s that simple.

It’s that simple, and that powerful. But any company with a strong location database is in pretty good shape, as are the search providers. There are opportunities for some wild-eyed startups in the space, but perhaps not for the core offering. Go2 has been in this space for ages; Infospace officially was but never seemed to get past business and person listings. It was never as compelling as Go2’s offerings (which are only getting better as location becomes available).

I’m more interested in leveraging local search for other services. Do you have a special interest in antique stores? A recurring search of your location can let the phone alert you when a store is nearby; this will feel like push messaging. On a road trip near lunchtime? Get a summary of all food options available to you without having to backtrack. On that same roadtrip and about to pass the last opportunity for gas/lodging/food for a long time? Get an alert.

Yes, mobile local search can be monetized directly. In fact, considering that 411 costs over $1 per call, there is a fascinating niche available for pay-per-use if the operators can avoid requiring data plans to use it and the service can be accessed directly from the device menu rather than through a browser (I think I just described a widget). Another method of monetization is the ever popular dreaded advertising. While advertising is more difficult for the small mobile screen, it is feasible. Our mobile UI pattern library contains some UI solutions for advertising. Solutions exist for display of advertising without being intrusive.

If you are lucky enough to live in Europe, I'm pleased to announce that Designing the Mobile User Experience is now available!

• a comprehensive guide to the mobile user experience, offering guidance to help make appropriate product development and design decisions.
• the tools necessary for product development professionals to understand development in the mobile environment.
• an overview of the components affecting the user experience and principles uniquely applicable to the mobile application field.
• the industry structure and power dynamics, providing insight into how mobile technologies and platforms become available on current and future phones.
• user research and design methodologies accounting for device proliferation
• user interface design patterns, design resources, and user research methods for mobile user interface design.

Designing the Mobile User Experience is an invaluable resource for information architects, user experience planners and designers, interaction designers, human factors specialists, ergonomists, product marketing specialists, and brand managers. Managers and directors within organizations entering the mobile space, advanced students, partnership managers, software architects, solution architects, development managers, graphic designers, visual designers, and interface designers will also find this to be an excellent guide to the topic.

Most of the rest of us will have to wait until April to get our hands on the book.

Like many other large-screen experiences translated to the small screen, video in general and sports in particular does not shrink well. Using the same camera feeds that are intended to work on large-screen televisions will dissociate viewers from the content. The ball will be lost, and even some players will be lost.

All is not doom and gloom, as some techniques exist to enhance the user experience to the point of being enjoyable. At a minimum, the recommendations in Producing MultiMedia Content for Mobile Distribution still apply: basically, choose your content with an eye towards mobile distribution. To do it right for a sporting event, you'll likely want additional cameras whose operators are trying to get mobile content, plus an additional producer to put together the right stream for mobile.

But can you truly watch a soccer (sorry, I'm American) game on a mobile? For me at least, over half of the enjoyment is from watching the dynamic patterns made by the players as the play unfolds. This is exactly the type of footage that is abysmal on the mobile: 240 pixels wide to capture 7 players, a ball, and a third of the field results in a one-pixel ball (if you're lucky).

So what is an intrepid mobile sportscaster to do? Our (Little Springs Design) recommendation is to take a lesson from American football production, with its visual effects that enhance the understanding of the game*. We recommend dynamically detecting the location of the players, officials, and ball on the field, then creating a picture-in-picture display that provides the location of each player at all times. The main part of the screen would display close-up action of players battling for the ball, a shot on goal, or other meaningful content.

This basic idea can be expanded, perhaps even interactively. Is there a particular player on the field who is sure to dominate? Make his abstract representation (likely a colored dot) brighter or even bigger than the other players. Maybe the viewer wants to pay attention to a couple of his favorite players, or is perhaps studying a particular position? Let the viewer select which player-dots to emphasize.

If you're thinking that this sort of representation could enhance viewing even on large screens, I agree. So the additional investment to produce mobile content may enhance all viewer's content.

If you're thinking that you could charge an additional fee for providing this information, I agree - with the caveat that the first few games should be free!

There are several possibilities for enhancing mobile sports content, and I expect the innovation to accelerate as the market shows more promise.

*If you haven't seen it, American football broadcasters display the location of the all-important first down line by "painting" it on the field exactly where the line is, and some broadcasts also "paint" an arrow for possession and number of yards to the first down on the field. I've seen something similar with some rugby broadcasts.

The growing number of lifestyle devices (and MVNOs) have had at best unpredictable success. Why?

Let's define a lifestyle device as a personal communications device that caters to a specific market segment with specific interests. A personal communications device (PCD) is a wireless handheld device with a primary focus on communications, with text, voice, or both. Examples include the BlackBerry, OGO, Treo, and all variety of mobile phones.

• While some people may want a separate device for a specialized experience for something, like video or music or a camera, many others will want the functionality but not enough to carry a separate device. So they'll want it in the device that they do carry: the personal communications device. As a result, personal communications devices will inherently be multi-purpose.
• Anything that is always carried will be part of your look, your style. Devices will be selected with style in mind. This explains the RAZR and a plethora of devices within the Japanese and Korean markets.
• Because it is a personal device, users will want to have it personalized, as seen with the array of ringtones, wallpapers, and themes available.

So a lifestyle device should be targeted at a lifestyle that is unlikely to purchase a separate device just for the "lifestyle". The NGage was targeted at just the audience who would normally want a separate device for the fully immersed, optimized (gaming) experience. Well, those people use GameBoys or PSPs. It wasn't a great phone and didn't serve the other needs well.

ESPN's sports device is too expensive and TOO focused on sports: most people have interests outside of sports. The device has to remain a general purpose device, or users are forced to use other devices for general purpose things.

"Sports" is too broad a concept. Participant? Live fan? Television fan? The three have wildly different needs, with the live action fan being the most expensive to support. Carriers definitely need to be involved for them, and once that happens you wouldn't want to restrict premium services to just folks with the special phone. Television fans
can be supported with content distribution, alerts, text messaging, and so forth.

So what would work?

How about blogging-focused PCD? You are unlikely to purchase a separate handheld device just to blog. But a PCD with a good keyboard (either QWERTY or Fastap), a good post-writing user interface, built-in connections with common blogging sites and mechanisms, and a superb RSS reader with content on the standby screen? That makes a voice call when you start dialing numbers? And has a camera that can also post to Flickr, personal servers, and blogging sites/applications? That can perhaps record well enough to podcast from the phone? Ah ha.

A diabetic-focused PCD will help the diabetic monitor blood sugar, record relevant food and activity, and coach the user; it can also perform the more common actions of taking pictures, downloading content, etc. Just because a person is diabetic does not mean the person doesn't like sports or music or chatting.

A lifestyle device needs to be a full PCD optimized for specific market segment needs, but retaining the ability to do general purpose PCD functions (however that evolves over the years). It will not replace a separate device for devotees of the experience, as the N-Gage illustrated, camera phones have illustrated, and music phones are likely to illustrate.

Paypal does it, why can't the banks? (answers: slow, regulated, lack of vision)

Send an SMS each time money is added to or removed from my bank account. Include the balance. There are people who will pay for the priviledge.