Mobile IxD

The mobile physical environment is highly varied, extremely dynamic and often unforgiving. While impossible to predict and plan for every condition, it is important to keep the environment in mind as a factor that can drastically affect usage – especially if the device the product runs on is designed for rugged professional use.

Plan for combinations of the following environmental characteristics to occur and impact usage
- Fluctuating network coverage
- Ambient surrounding noise level
- Changing or unstable positioning of the device or user
- Use in an environment that is in itself moving (e.g., bus or train)
- Variable lighting conditions (possibly zero ambient lighting)
- Variable climate
- Limited visibility (device could be in a pocket)
Use a high-contrast visual design with colors that resist fading in bright sunlight
Use larger, more easily readable fonts
Provide useful cues regarding connection status and task progress and avoid hiding cues typically provided by the platform such as signal strength and battery level
Ensure audio cues and notifications are appropriate for the environment
Not every audio cue or notification is important enough to trigger a vibration in “silent” mode (annoyance, battery life)
Work to avoid requiring precise input, either through the use of selection lists or, in the case of touch screen devices, by using larger targets for the stylus
Allow the user to continue working in absence of network coverage

Some of these environmental characteristics are discussed in "Mobile Usability: How Nokia Changed the Face of the Mobile Phone" by Lindholm and Keinonen.

dave@mobileixd.com