Children’s books

In fact, the greatest impact is the one publishers achieve by harnessing mobile to enhance interaction and deliver a personal touch.

Gina Otto —author of the modern-day fairy tale Cassandra’s Angel—stands out as a content creator who realizes her book, an award-winning children’s story aimed at helping young people find their voices, is a life lesson that mobile can greatly enhance and amplify.

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Despite the tiny screens, more consumers than ever before are using their smartphones to do more than ever before. Market research firm IDC reports that sales of smartphones in the final quarter of 2010 outstripped those of PCs for the first time—ever! Moreover, a milestone report from Google, in collaboration with the Mobile Marketing Association, confirms that we increasingly rely on our mobile devices to research products, make purchases, conduct transactions, and connect with social networks.

Mobile technology has also transformed how we consume content, creating new opportunities for old media. The first wave brought dramatic changes in the production, distribution, and monetization of content such as news, music, games, and video. Fast-forward and advances in mobile applications (apps), tablets, and e-reader devices herald a second wave of change. This time mobile will inject new dynamism into books, book publishing, and reading.

Some content creators—particularly those determined to simply shrink their book content for delivery on a tiny screen—will fail to reap the full benefits of mobile.

Read the rest of this column at EContent Magazine

& I invite to read all my Agile Minds columns on EContent Magazine here.

The explosion in mobile purchases also plays squarely in favor of mobile operator billing. In fact, operator billing may be the “missing link that allows a significant increase in commerce involving physical goods and services.”

This is the conclusion of Real Goods, Real Commerce & Real Results: The positive future for mobile operator billing platform, a new white paper from Tego Interactive,  a company delivering digital strategy and execution to startups, brands, service providers and network operators through converged Web and mobile solutions.

Real experience, real lessons

Drawing from several recent projects and trials Tego Interactive has undertaken with its partner 24GMedia, a next-generation mobile payment and application service provider, the white paper provides insights into what consumers and merchants expect from mobile commerce.

The paper examines the evolution of consumer attitudes toward mobile commerce and identifies the payment mechanisms that will allow companies and merchants to satisfy customer requirements.

The bottom line: there is a wealth of opportunity in commerce strategies that integrate payment at the point-of-sales (POS).

Moreover, consumer and customer requirements also play in favor of mobile operator billing, a mechanism that is gaining serious traction now that many of the technology and attitude hurdles have been removed.

But the pressure is on mobile operators to continue the momentum — and understand that mobile commerce is not a space where it is wise for them to demand the revenue shares they know from mobile content transactions, for example.

As Alfred DeRose, Tego Interactive Managing Director, put it in a statement: “Moving forward, more mobile operators must rethink their revenue share models and join together to enable commerce and shopping across all their networks combined.” The aim must be to “enable easier integration at the point-of-sale, allowing a more seamless mobile commerce that encourages consumers to buy in-store using their mobile phones.”

CheatSheets in the pipeline

The white paper is the first in a series of white papers and business how-to “CheatSheets” Tego Interactive will be producing to provide companies across the mobile ecosystem insights into mobile commerce and payments, and strategies to achieve mobile retail readiness.

To this end Tego Interactive has teamed up with MSearchGroove to create and market Thought Leadership to put in context the massive media shift that is taking place and how mobile companies can take advantage of new opportunities on mobile.

To support this effort Tego Interactive is also deepening its partnership with MSearchGroove to showcase insights and research related to mobile commerce and mobile website strategy and optimization.

Click here to download the full report.

Disclaimer: Tego Interactive is an MSG client and supporter. In addition, Tego Interactive has proven to be a highly proficient and invaluable partner to MSearchGroove.

Usability – and how shortcomings in device/software features and functionality are impacting the mobile space at all levels – was the focus last week. Around the world (and in Prague, where Tego Interactive is headquartered) professionals and practitioners came together at World Usability Day 2009 to exchange views and seek solutions to the fundamental usability issues that threaten to stunt market growth and stifle innovation, if we ignore the work to be done.

It’s a good news-bad news story. But, if we get it right, there is a happy ending.

The bad news: there are real problems ahead if we continue to think of usability as UI (interface) centered, and neglect the importance of delivering a UX (experience) that customers will appreciate.

The good news: participation in Prague World Usability Day 2009 has confirmed several of our own observations and provided some new insights into how mobile companies and developers can drive positive results for their businesses and deliver positive experiences to their users.

But before we get to some valuable suggestions and steps you can follow to develop in what Frog Design calls “the age of convergence,” allow me to explain what is different out there and why it’s time for a rethink.

WORLDS COMBINE

Our requirements for software and hardware haven’t changed all that much. The shift is in what we want to do/accomplish with all the stuff (software/services/devices) that is fast becoming an integral part of our daily routine.

Online and on mobile a lot of what we did was about accessing content. News, alerts, ringtones, images, music tracks – the works. Against this backdrop, most usability improvements focused on how to get to the content more easily (streamlining or personalizing portals, for examples) and methods to move content across platforms and devices.

Improving UI had a central spot in our strategies because it was enough to improve access. (Remember the rage over handsets that could buzz through our playlists if we waved them in the air?)

Fast forward to the present and we don’t just consume content; we create it, communicate it and want more control over the means of production. We want a good user experience from start to finish, and tweaking the UI alone won’t deliver it.

IT’S THE SYSTEM, STUPID

Put simply, people want to accomplish their objectives and the best app (the one with the best usability) is the one that understands this and makes it possible.

As Tjeerd Hoek from Frog Design put it during Prague World Usability Day: “It’s the SYSTEM that is the product.” It’s about software that binds it all.”

For example, a service or software that allows us to capture content on our mobile phones is no longer a crowd-pleaser. We want to leave our mark on all we do (through mix-ups and mash-ups with other content or software apps, for example); we want to keep it where we want (on the phone, on the PC, or a mix of both); and we want to share it freely (upload it to Facebook, post it on our mobile and online blogs, or broadcast it on Twitter). So, if we develop solutions that let people capture content we had better build in the flexibility to do a lot more with it!

Put another way, features are still important – but it’s the seamless fit between the software and our own personal objectives (productivity, flexibility, self-expression) that matters most.

NOT THE KITCHEN SINK

But don’t read this shift as a sign that your customers want all-singing, all-dancing systems/software that covers everything.

Consider the user push-back against mammoth software solutions from Microsoft and others designed from the ground-up to do it all. Connect the dots, and we no longer require a laundry-list of features and functionality. In fact, we will reject it flat out. Instead, we gravitate to the solutions that suit us best (allowing us to do what we want to do). In part, that’s why Windows 7 allows us the freedom to download the features we want.

That’s also why a company like Mariner Software can have phenomenal success with a “Long Tail” of word processing software programs tailored to the precise needs of a variety of different customers, ranging from poets to screenwriters.

The takeaway: In this space that which does everything does nothing.

SIMPLE (SIMPLY) DESIGN

So, what does this mean for how we develop software and systems now and moving forward?

We certainly can’t ignore the advance of touchscreen devices, the impact of the Apple App Store experience (resulting in a plethora of app stores from operators, handset makers and independents) and the explosion of the mobile Web. All this has come together this year to lay the groundwork for a brave, new active/interactive Internet.

Fixed or mobile? One Web or two? It doesn’t matter, really.

Everything comes together at the point of action – and this convergence must sit at the core of all we do/design/develop.

People do things with software and devices (a wide range of devices). The quality of an experience is therefore no longer a measure of how cool the interface is. Sure, it still plays a role, but usability stands and falls depending on how well developers can deliver exceptional usability at every step in the ‘app flow.’ (App flow is our internal term for the workflow that applications must enable. Remember, your customers are trying to do something.)

What do YOU need to do?

1) Tweak the UI but perfect the UX. It’s not about features and functionality that work well in isolation. Keep in mind what the user will want to accomplish with your software application and be sure that what you offer will cover that work flow.

2) Stick to the basics. More than ever, good usability is about making things easy to do. Keep it simple. And remember: if you have to tell the user how to do something, you’ve lost them (!)

3) Focus on the big picture. Software is the glue that holds it all together. Too much integration (old releases of Microsoft) and you lock people in (and they will vote with their feet). Too little integration and you have provided customers a one-trick pony that is hardly the way forward if you are serious about building business.

The takeaway: Allow people to do what they want to do and don’t overwhelm them with too many bells and whistles, and it’s all good.

Alfred DeRose is the Managing Director of Tego Interactive, a Web and mobile company specialized in integrated solutions for converged businesses determined to get more out of their digital assets.

However, before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s recall the issues and shortcomings that (in my view) put mobile operator portals at a disadvantage from the start.

It’s just common sense, really. Smart retailers make shopping a no-brainer by placing hot-selling items where consumers can see them. Mobile operators and content providers, on the other hand, forced users to navigate through multiple menus and sift through catalogues to find content they like. Mobile devices – with their screen-size limitations and restricted input capabilities – only exacerbate the problem.

Usability research from the same period (2003-2004) highlighted the scale of the problem. A WAP usability report produced in 2000 by Norman Nielsen Group, a usability and research firm in the U.S., highlights the scale of the problem (one that continues to this day!) and the gross mismatch between user expectations and reality.

It reported that users took an average of 120–150 seconds to locate content and concluded that, to be genuinely useful, mobile portals must be able to bring content to users within approximately 30 seconds.

Put another way, users are unlikely to discover content that is more than 30 seconds from the portal homepage. Norman Nielsen data shows most mobile users are capable of making 12 clicks in the space of 30 seconds.

That wouldn’t be so bad – except an analysis of 20 leading European mobile portals – conducted in 2002 by Mobile Metrix, a Swedish research and consultancy – revealed the average click-distance from the portal homepage to the desired content is at least 16. A closer examination of the content available within 12 clicks from the portals found that on average just over 35% of portal content services falls within this limit.

In other words, a whopping 65% of mobile content is positioned too far away from the homepage, making it invisible to users.

And then there is a benchmarking study a few years back conducted by Informa Telecoms & Media as part of a custom research project at the time. It revealed that users on a selection of mobile operator portals in the U.S., U.K. and Germany typically have to click through 10-40 screens to download some of the most popular ringtones or games.

Fast forward and we have app stores. And we have the same issues to tackle. (Although I might add that they still persist on mobile operator portals, by the way.)

The popularity of app stores turns up the pressure (again) on companies across the mobile value chain to improve discoverability and usability.

What needs to be done to make content findable and buyable? How (and why) should our experience on mobile complement our experience online? And where does the user fit in?

There’s no silver-bullet solution, but Tego Interactive Content Discovery Capsule, the first in our series of business strategy ‘cheat sheets’, will highlight some practical do’s and don’ts to help you tackle this serious problem and drive positive results (for you and your users). Please check back regularly – and be sure to follow Tego updates on Twitter (@tegointeractive and @alfredderose).

For one, the service allows for integration of Amazon’s “1-Click” checkout, the feature that lets customers make purchases using credit card information stored within their Amazon.com accounts. In practice, customers sign in using an MPS-enabled app and then, after the service verifies them, they can by stuff using their mobile phone without having to sign in again. This is ideal for enabling recurring and micropayments in the mobile environment.

As this post from ReadWriteWeb shows us, it only takes four simple steps for a mobile shopper to buy something using this new technology.

But it’s more than a no-brainer for mobile shoppers. We’re told that developers and merchants already using Amazon Payments service on their websites can essentially go mobile without additional development work. This is because the service detects when people are using a mobile device (as opposed to a PC) and automatically switches over to the mobile optimized payment interface.

Connect the dots, and Amazon has moved us all a giant leap toward the end goal for the industry – the one-click-purchase. Of course, we still have a laundry-list of issues we have to solve around content discovery – finding the content and stuff we want to buy in the first place. But services like Amazon’s are well in line with what people expect – even demand – of their mobile experiences.

The critical importance of having a shortcut to payments is perhaps best put by Alex Robson from TeleBilling, who told delegates at World Telemedia Malta in April that making it hard for people to buy content is a recipe for failure. As he put it: “It’s simple: one click: buy, two clicks: bye-bye.”

Think that through.

And while you do, think back to my earlier post, where I underscored the importance of having a streamlined payment process. Apple gets it – in part because it relies on credit cards, bypassing mobile operators and SMS or WAP billing schemes – payment methods that are either clunky or require us to input loads of information with a small keypad. Nokia’s Ovi store has a way to go, as my own road test of the service demonstrates, but there are clear indications they are moving in the right direction.

Some could argue that it’s the choice of payment method that is the issue here. Sure, credit card payment has its share of benefits. (I’m thinking here of ubiquity, ease of use and the fact that – at about 4% – the charges are considerably less for content creators and app distributors than the 50% or more cut carriers take for operator billing.) At the end of the day, a lot speaks in favor of credit cards over operator billing and clumsy WAP schemes.

But I want to step back and focus on what really matters:

And if you doubt for a second that users will vote with their feet when stuff is tough, then consider the bane of online commerce: the abandoned shopping cart, the uncompleted transaction.

Studies estimate that up to 75% of all shopping carts are abandoned before the sale is closed.

Why? In many cases, it’s the checkout. Respondents complain the process is too long, requires too much information, or is downright confusing.

If people are giving up online where they have large screens, full keyboards and sit-back time, then imagine what how short the attention spans (and tempers) must be when people are tying to buy on the go.

In mobile, the question regarding whether its WAP billing, credit cards e-wallets, or operator-led initiatives like Payforit is immaterial. What matters is the quality of the user experience and the clicks it takes for people to buy what they want.

Several of our clients – including a European mobile operator in the middle of a mobile storefront revamp – have asked us to design interfaces that will make their choice of payment method easier for people to use. Based on this recent work I have put together the first in a series of Tego Interactive “cheat sheets” focused on the do’s and don’ts of integrating online and mobile business.

1. 1. Reach rules: Choose a payment method that fits your business objectives that is ubiquitous and relevant to your customer audience. As I pointed out, credit cards have their advantages, but teens don’t generally have one – and neither do consumers in emerging markets. Make your choice based on what your customers want and will appreciate.
2. 2. Combine and connect: Keep in mind what Amazon and other Web giants are doing and why. It’s all about understanding what people can do on their PCs and what they will be willing to do on their mobile phones, and then making sure the interfaces match the task. Don’t require them to input a lot on information on their mobile phones. And don’t deny them the opportunity to browse through cool stuff on their PC (perhaps complemented by big, bright images; rich media; and communities where they can rate, rank and discuss things related to the products/offers – the works)
3. 3. Experience first: Don’t get so caught up in the UI that you forget the user. In our business less is more. It’s easy to fall in love with super-cool ways of doing things but in most cases plain and practical beat out flashy hands-down. Simple and elegant – it’s the best solution, and often the hardest to build.

It’s all about having payment processes that are built on a deep understanding of the unique characteristics of online and mobile and our requirements for easy payments. Get the mix right, put the user at the center and you can bet it will encourage people to complete their transactions.

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