Keep it Simple:Mobile Design for Product Owners

Agenda• Introductions• Why care about simplicity?• Demo: Timbre• The Paradox of Choice• Exercise: Thoughtful Reduction• Discoverability• Questions

What is Simplicity?

Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.— Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Simplicity in mobile apps

• Utility• What problem does the product solve? Is it useful?

• Discoverability• When the user wants to do something, can they figure out how? Are

useful features easily discovered?

• Usability• Once a user knows what they want to do and how to do it, can they

do it efficiently, repeatedly?

Why care about simplicity?

• The constraints of mobile screen size require careful consideration of what is essential.

• 87% of people said ease of use is the most important thing when it comes to adopting new technologies. (Consumer Electronics Association, 2002)

Why care about simplicity?

• Word frequency of 5-star reviews of top 300 iOS apps

Why care about simplicity?

• Word frequency of 1-star reviews of top 300 iOS apps.

Agenda• Introductions• Why care about simplicity?• Demo: Timbre• The Paradox of Choice• Exercise: Thoughtful Reduction• Discoverability• Questions

The Paradox of Choice

• Each element of your interface presents a choice to the user.

The Paradox of Choice

• “Too many choices lead to paralysis, poor decisions, and dissatisfaction...Too many choices lengthen task completion time, or keep users from completing tasks.” — Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice

• “People will complain about a visually complex page at the sight of it. But they will also complain if the information they need isn't immediately available to them.” — How visual simplicity can harm usability, guuui.com

An Unnecessary Choice

Which choices are necessary?

• Think about the problem before the solution.

• Acknowledge the difference between first time use (“learnability”) and normal use (“usability”). Consider intended usage patterns.

Which choices are necessary?

• Collect data!

• Repeat usage is the key indicator that a particular feature provides utility.

• Prioritize features that most people use most frequently. Be prepared to let go of things that are used the least.

Prototype & Iterate

• Data collection from actual users. Product owners are generally poor proxies for end users.

• Motion can’t be properly evaluated in specifications or wireframes. (Gestures, too)

• Less uncertainty during implementation phase.

Reducing Complexity

• Remove Features

• Hide Features

• Group Features

• Displace Features — Steven Bradley, vanseodesign.com

Reducing Complexity• Remove Features: Remove

what doesn’t get used and what doesn’t add anything meaningful to the essence of the thing you’re designing.

Reducing Complexity• Hide Features: Some things

shouldn’t be removed, but they don’t demand our attention at all times.

Reducing Complexity• Group Features: By placing

features into logical groups, the group becomes a quick and easy target, and lets the user zero in on what he/she wants to do.

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Reducing Complexity• Displace Features: Move

features and options to another location.

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Agenda• Introductions• Demo: Timbre• Why care about simplicity?• The Paradox of Choice• Exercise: Thoughtful Reduction• Discoverability• Exercise: Mobile Interactions• Questions

Improving Discoverability

• Real estate

• Order

• Form

• Expectation

• Consistency

— Scott Berkun, “The myth of discoverability”

Improving Discoverability• Real Estate: Pixels are a

limited resource; larger targets are easy to locate and easy to touch.

Improving Discoverability• Order: People tend to scan

an interface from left-to-right and top-to-bottom

Improving Discoverability• Form: Use colors, fonts, shapes,

and other constructions to make the best use of the real estate available.

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Improving Discoverability• Expectation: Use forms or patterns that are already

familiar to your users.

Improving Discoverability• Consistency: By using the same patterns and strategies

across an app, you gain discoverability by being predictable.

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Mobile App Discoverability

• Traditional desktop software uses menus, hovers, and right-clicks as a primary means of discovering application features

• Mobile strategies:

• Help overlays & videos

• Animation / motion

• Celebrate progress

Mobile App Discoverability

• Help overlay

• Trouble writing copy for a help overlay is often a red flag, signifying a lack of focus.

Mobile App Discoverability

• Animation / Motion

Mobile App Discoverability

• Animation / Motion

Mobile App Discoverability

• Celebrate progress

Questions?