Mobile & Tablet Articles & Videos

  • Mobile Email Newsletters

    Mobile use strengthens email marketing's benefits by offering ubiquitous newsletter access, but it also introduces new usability limitations for template design.

  • Repurposing vs. Optimized Design

    It's cheap but degrading to reuse content and design across diverging media forms like print vs. online or desktop vs. mobile. Superior UX requires tight platform integration.

  • Mobile Site vs. Full Site

    Good mobile user experience requires a different design than what's needed to satisfy desktop users. Two designs, two sites, and cross-linking to make it all work.

  • Mobile Sites vs. Apps: The Coming Strategy Shift

    Mobile apps currently have better usability than mobile sites, but forthcoming changes will eventually make a mobile site the superior strategy.

  • Overloaded vs. Generic Commands

    Overloading different outcomes on similar commands can be confusing. Using the same command for multiple actions enhances usability if the results are conceptually the same.

  • Mobile UX Sharpens Usability Guidelines

    Many guidelines are similar for mobile and desktop design, but their mobile interpretation is much more unforgiving.

  • Mobile Content: If in Doubt, Leave It Out

    Writing for mobile readers requires even harsher editing than writing for the Web. Mobile use implies less patience for filler copy.

  • Mobile Usability 2nd Research Study

    The user experience of mobile websites and apps has improved since our last research, but still has far to go. A dedicated mobile site is a must, and apps get even higher usability scores.

  • Transmedia Design for the 3 Screens (Make That 5)

    Mobile use will rise, but desktop computers will remain important, forcing companies to design for multiple platforms, requiring continuity in visual design, features, user data, and tone of voice.

  • Defer Secondary Content When Writing for Mobile Users

    Mobile devices require a tight focus in content presentation, with the first screen limited to only the most essential information.

  • Intranet Portals: Personalization Hot, Mobile Weak, Governance Essential

    19 new case studies of enterprise portals find slow growth in new features; the focus is on robust integration and formalizing governance.

  • Why WSJ Mobile App Gets ** Customer Reviews

    A confusing startup screen that offends existing subscribers dooms The Wall Street Journal's iPhone app to low ratings.

  • Mini-IA: Structuring the Information About a Concept

    In a miniature information architecture, coverage of a single topic is chunked into units that are connected through simple navigation.

  • iPad Usability: Year One

    iPad apps are much improved, but new usability problems have emerged, such as swipe ambiguity and navigation overload.

  • Utilize Available Screen Space

    Websites and mobile apps both frequently cram options into too-small parts of the screen, making items harder to understand.

  • Optimizing a Screen for Mobile Use

    A single mobile screen with almost no features still required 10 design changes to meet usability guidelines for mobile websites.

  • Mobile Content Is Twice as Difficult

    When reading from an iPhone-sized screen, comprehension scores for complex Web content were 48% of desktop monitor scores.

  • iPad and Kindle Reading Speeds

    A study of people reading long-form text on tablets finds higher reading speeds than in the past, but they're still slower than reading print.

  • iPad Usability: First Findings From User Testing

    iPad apps are inconsistent and have low feature discoverability, with frequent user errors due to accidental gestures. An overly strong print metaphor and weird interaction styles cause further usability problems.

  • iPhone Apps Need Low Starting Hurdles

    Most mobile applications are used only intermittently, so they must be especially easy during initial use. In particular, upfront registration shouldn't be required before users experience an app's benefits.