Smaller screens, fat-finger errors, dropped connections, myriad platforms – why would anyone whose focus is designing immersive digital experiences be excited about the emergence of mobile as a dominant channel for accessing the Web?
The “Year of Mobile” has been declared each year for the last eight years, and with it predictions of how mobile devices will make ball-and-chain desktop experiences obsolete. Morgan Stanley has rather famously predicted that by 2014, more people will be accessing the Internet through mobile devices than desktop computers, and as the future of digital is painted, the often unstated assumption is that “personal computers” will go the way of VCRs and PDAs.
But not so fast. While I don’t doubt that the number of visits from mobile devices will overtake desktops by 2014, I do doubt that mobile visit length (time-wise) or depth (page-wise) will outpace larger-screened-keyboard-based-devices (leaving myself some wiggle room here – while I don’t think that mobile will kill personal computers, “the cloud” just may). Two years ago, the popular predication was that Facebook would kill email. Two years later, email is stronger than ever, with studies showing that heavy Facebook users are also heavy email users. The two platforms have proven to complement each other, with users adapting their use to the strengths of each. Smart strategies understand these nuances and design to them.
Put simply, different platforms afford different user experiences that can – and should – be leveraged as part of your digital strategy. The emergence of mobile as a dominant platform is forcing this conversation. Interactivity does not exist in a vacuum. Consumers may access a feature or digital property at-home, at-shelf, or on-the-go with nuanced preferences for when they use a phone vs. a tablet vs. a laptop (for example, when was the last time you filled out an extended registration from your phone?). By broadening strategic discussions from not only the “what” and “why” of digital engagement to include the “where” and “with what device”, strategies that incorporate mobile as one of multiple platforms will force companies to take a more comprehensive look at the nuanced and myriad ways consumers interact with their brand or organization. When that happens, everybody wins.
Why the Emergence of Mobile Will Improve Your Digital Strategy
by Perficient Author on June 28th, 2011 | ~ minute read
