The future of mobile UX
The future of mobile is simple, it’s human centred and about connecting people. To discover the future of mobile commerce, UX design and what users want, consider that the best way is to create the future yourself by intimately knowing your users and thinking about some key elements of the mobile experience. These are basic elements to consider both internally and externally of your organisation. Internally, think about the user journey. Externally, we can see what others are doing in the space to determine where design and functionality is heading by looking at basic attributes such as navigation, attributes that are forging ahead and delighting, such as biometric login, to gauge where design and technology might be heading.
The medium is the message
Companies are often opting for a ‘mobile-first’ or ‘mobile by default’ strategy, which can often be oversimplified through a content copy and paste job. A strategy such as this goes further than just creating a responsive version of your desktop website.
From a practical perspective, having a clear goal in mind is the first step: what are you trying to achieve in the mobile medium? Second, knowing your users’ current usage and behavior will guide you on the first point. Last, consistency is key – users are expecting similar themes to how you are already engaging with them, but in a way that is designed for mobile.
Use the technology as the means not the end
Technology has obviously made things easier. It creates a simpler and more intuitive experience for users, take navigating to a location, previously a map would have required careful planning, that planning is now done seamlessly by simple entering a destination. The simplicity aspect is key in the experience, therefore technology should not be adopted as an end goal, but rather a means to an end, whether it be getting a product to checkout or downloading a piece of content.
When considering simplicity and how people use mobile devices, it goes back to the simple fact that you are designing and creating for people.
Knowing your users
Mobile technologies can enhance human ability, giving people the power to transact almost anywhere and anytime. However, it can also take away our abilities in certain contexts. In thinking about the future of commerce and mobile technologies, we need to think about how and where users are engaging with technology and, how you as the creator, are developing the experience for your users in that environment.
Understanding your users does not happen by chance, it involves engaging with them early in the design process and often, speaking to them in context, and discovering how they use their devices when engaging with not only your services but that of competitors. Through this engagement, you will discover both the needs of your users and the pain points that they are experiencing when engaging with your service. This will assist you in developing and designing a service that is human centered and fit for the future.