Fit Service to User to Device & Reduce to the Max! (English PR)
Instead of an article we serve you the equally informative press info:
The Mobile Usability Report (written in German) that is published today in Berlin is the first independent empirical study on the usability of WAP-based
(Wireless Application Protocol) services in Germany. On 138 pages the report deals with the protagonists of the mobile Internet – the users.
The co-authors of the Mobile Usability Report, Sabrina Duda (32), Michael Schießl (30) (eye
square) and Jan Michael Hess (29) (Mobile Economy) position
themselves as the user advocats of the mobile Internet. In their report they explain how usability gaps can be closed that are, to a large
extent, responsible for the lack of success of current WAP services.
The report's objective was to come up with a style guide full of recommendations for the managers and developers of mobile data
services. Based on this motivation, an extensive usability test with 36 representative users was carried out in eye square's usability lab
in October and November 2000. The 4 WAP portals of the leading German mobile operators as well as 23 selected WAP services where
investigated in every detail. 3 WAP-enabled cellular phones from Siemens, Nokia and Motorola were used. The following sponsors
supported the Mobile Usability Report: Linkedwith, mobileview, weblicon and
Click Online.
Only user-friendly mobile services enjoy a high potential of user acceptance. Co-author Sabrina Duda summarizes her experiences with
the average WAP user "Joe in the street": "Developers usually overestimate the users. The navigation concept has to support the users
in a transparent way instead of leading them into dead ends of no return. User-friendliness should be taken literally: Users prefer a
personal and friendly tonality in the mainly text-based medium that WAP represents today."
The mobile Internet, embodied by WAP & Co., is in fact a very new medium. Co-author Michael Schießl explains: "The younger a medium,
the more important is usability. WAP is at an early stage and, consequentely, profound process know-how for the optimisation of Mobile
Usability is needed to survive. Our Mobile Usability Report delivers a first serious contribution to the usability discussion in Germany."
Co-author Jan Michael Hess emphasizes usability's impact on the success of mobile data services: "The lesson learned from the
collective public beta test during the last year and especially from our usability test is easy: Usability is a critical success factor. Mobile
services and devices that are difficult to use will be abandoned by the users. Operators, device manufacturers and content providers
must cooperate in a user-centered joint effort, supported by fair revenue sharing, to unleash the untapped potential of the mobile economy."
The necessity to design mobile applications based on the users' needs and customize them for a myriad of devices has motivated us to
phrase our Mobile Economy paradigm: Fit Service to User to Device!
At the same time, our data proves that consumers show interest in
mobile services as they see the advantages of independence of time and space. Successful services have limited functionality and focus
on the specific mobile situation of the user - a great proof for our Mobile Usability paradigm: Reduce to the Max!
Representing the open-minded developer community, Kim Onneken, Chief Technology Officer of Linkedwith, speaks up: "This Mobile
Usability Report was badly needed. We use the results in our projects and recommend them to everybody who takes mobile data
seriously. Our WAP development tools and application servers help reduce the development time but, in the end, every application
depends on the users' acceptance."
The wish list of the testers states that the mobile Internet has to become easier, cheaper (0,15 DM/minute), more stable and faster. To
close existing usability gaps, we demand in the name of the user community of mobile data services:
1. Invest more time and money in the usability of mobile services.
2. Invest more time and money in the usability of mobile devices.
3. Operators must reduce the costs of mobile data access.
4. Operators must offer revenue sharing opportunities to content providers to reward their added value and role in the user satisfaction.
The Mobile Usability Report should be read by the representatives of established and startup companies in the mobile economy such as
decision takers, marketing managers, product managers, project managers, concept developers, interface designers, programmers and
hardware engineers.
The Mobile Usability Report is written in German and distributed in a customized PDF version or print version via www.businessvillage.de/mobileusability.
Regarding eye square:
eye square, Berlin, is a market research and consulting company with a focus on interactive media. Usability and branding reasearch are
carried out online (web-based questionnaires), mobile (SMS-based and voice-based surveys) and in the Usability Lab (video and
eyetracking analyses). Based on psychological analysis eye square develops strategic interface and branding concepts that foster a
holistic understanding of the users.
Regarding Mobile Economy:
Mobile Economy, Berlin, is based on the 3 pillars research & intelligence, consulting and service development & integration. Extensive
primary and secondary research leads to profound mobile intelligence that is distributed through customized versions and channels.
Mobile Economy consults clients during the development of mobile strategies and visions and develops & integrates innovative mobile
services. Mobile Economy also operates the online magazine mobiliser.org that provides intelligence for wireless executives.
Upon request editors and freelance journalists are provided with a free digital copy of the Mobile Usability Report.
