The landscape of mobile apps development keeps changing with the frequency that for some who aren’t accustomed to its speed of innovation get left behind. That is why it is worthwhile to compare and contrast design for mobility with designing for now prevalently mobile adaptations. What was not realized until very recently is designing explicitly for mobility is that, in the past designing just for the personal computer was an inactive experience. With shared unstated assumptions people may remain in one place for long periods of time, with little change in their environment. But this can be harnessed or taken advantage of with software experiences that reward deeper engagement, encourage exploration and play as well as allow for more complicated interactions to achieve bigger goals and ambitions. Thus designing for constant contexts of mobility is born. What are its visible goals or imminent challenges? What is there to benefit from the ever-changing plane of innovation and adaptation?
Ever Evolving Context, Situation and Status of Things
The most significant point of designing for mobility is that the environment around the end user is always dynamic i.e. whether when walking, while driving, in transit, at restaurants, at theater, in the office, moving from place to place, situation to varying situation. The condition / context and status of things around them are always evolving.
Users Anticipate Adaptable User Experience
What end users anticipate or want in mobility is the kind of dynamic environment which is highly adaptable, predictable, straight forward, get-in-and-get-out software experience. They don’t want to explore cyberspace when out-and-about. They want to quickly get a key piece of information, or make a key connection. They want key functionality at their fingertips.
Explore and Analyze the Unpredictability of Changing Technology Platforms
While in static environments, end users are much more willing to explore, assess, and analyze. They are also willing to take time to try new things and to invite surprise because their environment is stable and supportive. Therefore there is an inverse relationship between the dynamism of user environment and the complexity of use they are willing to put up with or go through while exploring the changing technology platforms.
Expandable Plane of Future Adaptability and Functionality
It may not be of significance what device is used in these contexts. For example, when one uses a laptop to find an address, it defines one wants to get in and get out. But if one is at home or at the office and has time to relax and engage, then one is perfectly willing to get exploratory with the mobile phone searching for various possibility to arrive at the same motive or function. This opens more channels for adapting future mobility technology innovations to unlimited and undefined contexts of use. Mobility gains an upper hand here.
Designing only for mobile devices puts a limiting factor on device adaptability and makes us lose big opportunities for the mobile device use and context is limited and is already defined. Mobility is merging threshold for all future innovations loaded with possibilities of applications and end use.
