Comments on: Don’t design for “mobile” - design for mobility

By: Mobility Products

Mobility Products — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:17:11 +0000

Our Mobility Products range includes mobility scooter, mobility equipment, mobility aids, electric adjustable bed, mobility scooters, riser recliner chair, walkers, walk in bath, adjustable bed, stair lift, electrical mobility in UK.

By: Imran Sobh

Imran Sobh — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:57:52 +0000

Although it is important to design for mobility, I think there is a lot of value in designing for situations as well. It’s a subtle difference, and it emphasizes the unchanging elements of a context, whether it is physical, social, or informational. The idea of a hybrid context sounds about right. It’s the middle ground between sitting at a desk in front of a screen and grabbing the info of the closest high quality sushi restaurant. I would venture to say that the hybrid context is where most of our living happens. I don’t have statistics to back me up, but I would argue that the most meaningful usage of mobile devices happens in established places, such as home/work/school rather than on streets, buses, or other highly dynamic environments.

Like you said in your post, in those contexts, the need is for get-in-get out experiences, which a lot of times amount to simply finding the best shortcuts for input or searching (ie, GPS for location based services instead of typing). The hybrid context seems like a rich area that can provide for deeper needs, and where both the form and function play a balanced role. Perhaps mobile social applications become more useful in that case.

Just some thoughts…

By: peterme

peterme — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:00:08 +0000

Tamlyn–

I don’t disagree. I didn’t want to drag the post on too long, but there’s definitely something of a hybrid context on transit, where you do have long periods of relatively sedentary time. I’ve actually come to believe that iPhone is the perfect device for this context — thanks to videos and video podcasts, games, and always-on connectivity, I can remain engaged while just sitting on the train. In fact, it’s better in this context than in a true mobility context, because the nature of iPhone means it requires a lot of attention to use, which is not desirable when your environment is dynamic.

By: Antoine Valot

Antoine Valot — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:02:37 +0000

Good points, but you ought to take another look at iPhone, which is heralding the PC web experience on a mobile device. Safari on iPhone is full-fledged, and apart from Flash content, everything works on it.

Still, many web apps for iPhone miss opportunities to integrate with the circumstances and conditions of use. Your underlying point still applies, even without technological limitations.

By: Tamlyn Rhodes

Tamlyn Rhodes — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:38:24 +0000

When I’m sat at a PC I’m usually working and I want a straightforward, get-to-the-point experience. When I’m on my mobile I’m usually killing time waiting for the bus, sitting on the train or waiting for a friend and I want to explore and be distracted!

OK, thats not 100% true but my point is that the type of experience depends on more than location and mobility. When I’m using Google Maps I expect the same simple interface whether I’m mobile or not.