How the Growth of Mobile is Changing the UX Landscape

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Last week I joined Enlighten (now Perficient Digital) senior interaction designer Krysta Stone at the 2011 Internet User Experience Conference here in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was great to see so many familiar faces from the local User Experience community, as well as meet newcomers, and, in some cases, finally put a face with a name. There were a lot of great sessions, covering everything from the implications and complications of internet in automobiles to why collaboration is like a Mosh Pit. (In a good way! Did you know there’s good moshing and bad moshing? I do now.)
One theme that popped up again and again is mobile devices. How do we, as individuals, attain screen-life balance given that screens are with us everywhere we go; what are the challenges of conducting eye-tracking studies for mobile devices; what’s the strategic rationale behind when to implement a mobile app versus a mobile website; how can we enhance e-commerce experiences on mobile devices; is the Mobile First movement practical (that is, designing the mobile experience before the website)? These topics and more came up throughout the three-day conference. Krysta and I focused our discussion on how mobile devices are affecting the digital experience—all digital experiences, not just the ones in your pocket.
The adoption of smart mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) is growing exponentially. Users are now engaging with brands online from multiple platforms and bringing expectations from their mobile device to all digital interactions. Our session explored how the growth of mobile and tablet devices is changing users expectations not only for their mobile experiences, but for all their digital interactions, regardless of whether they are accessing the internet via a desktop computer, tablet, or phone. We discussed what successful iPad interfaces can teach us about principles like entertainment, ease of use, and discoverability, and how to apply these findings across a multi-channel interactive experience. We touched on how responsive design offers a solution to the multi-modal web (and why it’s not always the right one). Lastly, we explored how mobile influences like gamification and contextual awareness are changing what users expect and what experience-makers can do to provide a killer user experience, web-wide.

You can check out our presentation on slideshare: http://slidesha.re/uRWMf2
There were surprising statistics shared, and the gist was always the same: mobile is here and only getting bigger. It will change the way we think about the internet and computing. So grab your smartphone, and ride the wave.