mobile needs

Over the years in my work as a product manager for mobile user applications, I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about what I would wish of an ideal mobile consumer interface. These is the effort of summarizing these thoughts. 

A mobile consumer's needs, first and foremost, are limited in scope, concentrated on a few dominant needs and more concrete than those of the person sitting at a desktop PC.

Limited to consumption
The mobile consumer has needs that are consumption-oriented, hardly investment-oriented. Any long-term capital-intensive investment - such as buying a PC, a car or a house - a consumer will do extensive research, using a full blown PC.

A few dominant needs

The large part of mobile consumption decisions can be categorized as Maslows basic (physiological) needs: food, drink and a place to sleep. Other strong needs are in the upper realms of needs, such as mobilty, leisure and entertainment. In any case, a limted number of very specific needs cover a large part of what a mobile consumer needs. 

Concrete
Mobile needs mostly demand immediate satisfaction. The consumer has already made the decision to purchase and merely wants a choice of options.

In addition, the personal mobile devices is not just personal, but truly private - there are no "shared" mobile phones. This is in contrast to the "personal" computer, which is oftentimes shared within a family or simply is the property of an employer.

oracle vs. candybox (2) enter the iphone

Following on the first explorative post on this topic, some thoughts about the game changes the iphone is ushering in...

Enter the iPhone

The iPhone has popularized three distinct game-changers:

- a distinct mobile user experience metaphor - the candybox in it's purest form

- a "candy-shop" - the App Store - that offers unlimited varietes of quality candy

- an application architecture that frees online applications from the browser, giving them access to powerful device functions. 

What changes for the Oracle

Google utilizes the underlying application architecture of the iPhone for their implementation of Voice Search: start the Google App, lift the iPhone to your mouth and tell Google what you are searching for. Google algorithms - executed in the cloud - will attempt to understand your spoken search query and deliver relevant results.

While innovating on input methods, the Google search results interface remains true to it's original minimalistic design: generic, thus befitting academic research as well as local search results. 

What changes for the Candybox

First of all, applications have a uniquely effective distribution system. Users discover offerings through the App Store. Among these are games, communication tools and many other categories. Not least among these are local search applications - applications ranging from Yelp and Yellow Pages over HotSpot Finders and Urban Spoon to Cityguides and Nightlife apps. 

The strongest benefit of an application are superior user experience and presence.

Oracle vs. Candybox - a battle of metaphors

A question has kept me busy thinking over the weekend: What kind of interface will dominate our mobile experience? What will provide the best access to the world of online information?

In the mobile world, I see two distinct metaphors for accessing the richness of online services: the oracle and the candybox.  

The Oracle: since the beginning of time, human beings have craved for a unique and universal source of answers to their questions. In ancient Greece, the Oracle of Delphi became the epitome of such a force. 

In present times, Google has become the symbol for universal and powerful access to the vast sea of internet offerings. Enter what you want and trust Google to deliver relevant results. 

The Candybox: a candybox contains a select choice of quality offerings that satisfy refined needs within a specific context (consuming desserts).

In present times, modern smartphone interfaces offer a selection of high-quality functions that address the mobile consumer's information- and communication-needs. Visit the App Store and be sure to find an application that delivers what you want.