Chapter 13
Agenda/Learning Objectives
Examine why mobile products have unique UCD considerations
1) Examine why mobile products have unique UCD considerations
a) UCD for mobile application development resembles UCD found elsewhere:
i) research users and the use situation
iii) prototype and test with real users
b) Why mobile is unique?
i) Material challenges:
(1) Less screen space means less content
(2) Images need to be scaled to fit
ii) Significantly context dependent:
(1) Poor network connectivity causes delayed, frustrated loading of content
(2) Users are on the move or at the very least using the application doing other things in
dynamic environments
(3) Greater need to ration visible features to those that are most useful for the task
c) Is mobile the answer?
i) The first step you should take in designing a mobile application is to find out if your
users and your client really need it. (Are they going to use your content and other
2) Review mobile UCD best practices
a) Reduce content: reduce content, image sizes, and other gestural features to compensate for
small screen size
3) Explore National Park Service Geysers App Case Study
a) NPS Geysersthe First Officially Sanctioned Mobile App for Yellowstone National Park
b) Dr. Brett Oppegaard, lead designer
c) Developed effective mobile application for difficult environment and challenging, diverse
user groups
d) App used to see how visitors to the site might want to use their mobile devices in a myriad