Keep it Simple: Mobile Design for Product Owners
Transcript of Keep it Simple: Mobile Design for Product Owners
Keep it Simple:Mobile Design for Product Owners
Agenda• Introductions• Why care about simplicity?• Demo: Timbre• The Paradox of Choice• Exercise: Thoughtful Reduction• Discoverability• Questions
What is Simplicity?
Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.— Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Simplicity in mobile apps
• Utility• What problem does the product solve? Is it useful?
• Discoverability• When the user wants to do something, can they figure out how? Are
useful features easily discovered?
• Usability• Once a user knows what they want to do and how to do it, can they
do it efficiently, repeatedly?
Why care about simplicity?
• The constraints of mobile screen size require careful consideration of what is essential.
• 87% of people said ease of use is the most important thing when it comes to adopting new technologies. (Consumer Electronics Association, 2002)
Why care about simplicity?
• Word frequency of 5-star reviews of top 300 iOS apps
Why care about simplicity?
• Word frequency of 1-star reviews of top 300 iOS apps.
Agenda• Introductions• Why care about simplicity?• Demo: Timbre• The Paradox of Choice• Exercise: Thoughtful Reduction• Discoverability• Questions
The Paradox of Choice
• Each element of your interface presents a choice to the user.
The Paradox of Choice
• “Too many choices lead to paralysis, poor decisions, and dissatisfaction...Too many choices lengthen task completion time, or keep users from completing tasks.” — Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice
• “People will complain about a visually complex page at the sight of it. But they will also complain if the information they need isn't immediately available to them.” — How visual simplicity can harm usability, guuui.com
An Unnecessary Choice
Which choices are necessary?
• Think about the problem before the solution.
• Acknowledge the difference between first time use (“learnability”) and normal use (“usability”). Consider intended usage patterns.
Which choices are necessary?
• Collect data!
• Repeat usage is the key indicator that a particular feature provides utility.
• Prioritize features that most people use most frequently. Be prepared to let go of things that are used the least.
Prototype & Iterate
• Data collection from actual users. Product owners are generally poor proxies for end users.
• Motion can’t be properly evaluated in specifications or wireframes. (Gestures, too)
• Less uncertainty during implementation phase.
Reducing Complexity
• Remove Features
• Hide Features
• Group Features
• Displace Features — Steven Bradley, vanseodesign.com
Reducing Complexity• Remove Features: Remove
what doesn’t get used and what doesn’t add anything meaningful to the essence of the thing you’re designing.
Reducing Complexity• Hide Features: Some things
shouldn’t be removed, but they don’t demand our attention at all times.
Reducing Complexity• Group Features: By placing
features into logical groups, the group becomes a quick and easy target, and lets the user zero in on what he/she wants to do.
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Reducing Complexity• Displace Features: Move
features and options to another location.
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Agenda• Introductions• Demo: Timbre• Why care about simplicity?• The Paradox of Choice• Exercise: Thoughtful Reduction• Discoverability• Exercise: Mobile Interactions• Questions
Improving Discoverability
• Real estate
• Order
• Form
• Expectation
• Consistency
— Scott Berkun, “The myth of discoverability”
Improving Discoverability• Real Estate: Pixels are a
limited resource; larger targets are easy to locate and easy to touch.
Improving Discoverability• Order: People tend to scan
an interface from left-to-right and top-to-bottom
Improving Discoverability• Form: Use colors, fonts, shapes,
and other constructions to make the best use of the real estate available.
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Improving Discoverability• Expectation: Use forms or patterns that are already
familiar to your users.
Improving Discoverability• Consistency: By using the same patterns and strategies
across an app, you gain discoverability by being predictable.
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Mobile App Discoverability
• Traditional desktop software uses menus, hovers, and right-clicks as a primary means of discovering application features
• Mobile strategies:
• Help overlays & videos
• Animation / motion
• Celebrate progress
Mobile App Discoverability
• Help overlay
• Trouble writing copy for a help overlay is often a red flag, signifying a lack of focus.
Mobile App Discoverability
• Animation / Motion
Mobile App Discoverability
• Animation / Motion
Mobile App Discoverability
• Celebrate progress
Questions?