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Let the user choose the content that is delivered

One of the basic tenets of usability is to give control to the user (or at least the perception thereof). Receiving undesired content is not only potentially costly and frustrating, but may also touch on feelings of privacy and trust.

It may not always be practical to let the user choose the content that is delivered to the mobile product, as doing so may require a more complicated interaction design that detracts from the overall usability to adhere to the principle, but the issue of degree of user control ought to be considered during design.

Note that “content” is a broad concept and in this use includes text information, forms, messages, audio, images, videos, and advertisements.

• Provide options for delivery on the mobile for content considered critical to the use of the product (e.g., mail products typically offer the option to download just the header of each message automatically rather than the entire contents)

• For content that is not critical to the use of the product, use an opt-in approach

• Allow users to opt-out of receiving content that is not critical that they are already receiving or will otherwise receive by default

dave@mobileixd.com

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