I have noticed recently that I have become more rabid that we are overserving the mobile user.
Link: MobHappy: Wow, Somebody Might Be Listening.
Their argument is clear, concise and cohesive: the business is still too focused on technology, and this gets in the way of serving users. People are presented with too many features on their devices, none of which are especially good nor easy to use. When it comes to services, setup and provisioning is currently horrible, and the services themselves aren’t presented in a helpful manner.
The best test is to give an advanced smartphone to someone outside the
industry (as I do regularly) and come back later to interview them on
what they use on the phone.
My findings are pretty consitent, regardless of phone. People mostly use (usually in this order):
– Voice calling – might seem stupid to highlight that here, but it’s essential to understanding where the money is
– SMS – not MMS, not email
– Alarm clock
– Contacts
– Camera
– Maybe, calendar
And that’s it.
Heck, I’m a power user and there is a boat-load of krap that I never touch. Can’t the manufacturer let me get rid of those apps to free up space in my menu? Also, phones nowadays seem to have so much krap that is put in simply to tick off a feature list for an operator! Argh, it’s so annoying.
