In this series of posts about “mobile web application development strategies’, we will discuss about ‘advantages of mobile web platform, strategizing for mobile web, initiating a mobile web project’ and much more will be added as and when possible.

To begin with, we will understand how mobile web is promising.

Advantages of Mobile Web platform:

Anywhere-Anytime information access:
Unlike conventional desktop-based computing, mobile web has surpassed the limitation of immobility. With mobile devices, users can access information anywhere, anytime when they are in the cell phone connectivity coverage area or using a WI-FI hotspot.

Wireless Internet Connectivity:
Users are now having access to internet on their mobile devices or accesses internet through their mobile devices.

Leveraging Application / Device capabilities:
Services / Applications now can take the advantage of in-built capabilities of mobile devices, like clicking on a phone number can help users to call the respective number with no hassles involved.

Geography-based Content Delivery:
Location-based technologies are enabling the end-users to receive the content based on the location. Such localized content delivery mechanism is helping users to get the desired content with minimal efforts, which leads to a better user experience and benefits to the respective service provider as well.

Strategizing for mobile web:

When an organization decides to design a website or an application targeted at mobile web users, they need to consider several factors like:

• Why should we make / create a mobile web application?
• Does the content delivered on mobile devices make sense for the TG? Is it really adding value to their usage?
• What kind of content can be made available online? Do we deliver useful content?
• We have a very powerful flash-based website. Should we create a similar application User Interface (UI) for mobile devices as well? Will it work across multiple device profiles?

Precisely, before we start working on a mobile web application, we must be aware of all aspects like advantages and limitations the mobile web platform has and also about how to leverage this platform for an organizations’ and end-users’ advantage. We must be clear about ‘whether creating a mobile web application can really add value’ to the respective website as well for the end-users / TG.

As this is a series of posts, we will continue with “Initiating a mobile web project” in the continuing post.

Kiosks are mean to be easy for all types of end-users, even those who may have very minimal experience with computers, non-tech savvy users who may be hardly interacting with computers. Also, the target end-users are expected to spend very less time at such kiosks to perform certain quick-to-do tasks such as cash withdrawal, balance statement inquiry, shopping mall information like direction for an x store located on some x floor.

For such users, ‘especially non-banking application users’, the time span to be spent on a kiosk will be minimal. And, if they are not able to learn using the kiosk and getting the information they want in around 15-25 seconds, they might turn away from the application (kiosk).

To avoid such issues, one needs to understand the underlying usability and accessibility principles for success in kiosk application development scenario.

Some of the important things which will help you achieve success in your kiosk applications are:
1. Understanding the target users and the environment they are supposed to use this application.
2. Usable interface, designed to suit the end-users / Application design
3. Reliable hardware (displays, ergonomically designed cabinet / hardware)

In this article, we will discuss about understanding the target users. Consider following aspects while designing usable interface for Kiosks / Touch screen based applications:

> End-users are not trained for the application interface: When kiosks are developed, end-users being general public can not be trained at such a large scale, considering the practicality and the viability from business perspectives. Kiosks are of “self-help, learn quickly” kind of applications. Generally, kiosks are set up in places where there is no possibility to train end-users about how to use the Kiosk application.

> Kiosk is an assistive mechanism and can be secondary for people who are late technology adopters or not willing to use such applications [except banking ATM kiosks – being the easiest way for quick-to-do banking tasks such as cash withdrawals and is a must for such users]: There are users who are not willing to use kiosk because of their bad past experiences or fear in the mind about using the technology being late technology adopters. For such users, Kiosk must attract their attention, must be engaging & should not frustrate the user with its complexity. And, most importantly, it must deliver the information.

> Even a small reason can turn them off: Any small flaw in the software / hardware design can make users feel bad about the kiosk and can have a negative effect on the usage level. For example, an action button, if not mapped properly for the action or have a bad “affordance”* can damage the experience and turn them off.  [*Affordance: a situation where an object's sensory characteristics intuitively imply its functionality and use. - Ref: UsabilityFirst ]

> End users must be satisfied: Else, they will go away from the product and may not use it again, due to the bad experience they had while using it first time. (In case of important services like banking ATMs, they will have to come back but will have an adverse effect about the respective bank’s reputation as people may spread negative message about the applications (such as “this bank’s ATM is really tough to use! I am not getting the things quickly…there are too many options to choose from…there are several actions that take me to the action which I desire to do but don’t want to waste so much of time.” And this leads to bad reputation for the x company.

Good software interface is a key to the success in Kiosk-based applications. We will discuss more factors like “An Effective interface for Kiosk – Success Factor” in the continuing post.