iPhone design mistakes: Disregard of context. A lack of understanding of how, when, where and why the mobile device is being used

The iPhone will always just be part of a much bigger picture. How well you address human and environmental factors will greatly determine the success of your product.

All too often, iPhone developers create products in an environment isolated from their customers. In order to create a really appealing application, developers must stop focusing on just the mechanisms of the app. Zoom out — understand the person using the application, as well as the complex environmental factors surrounding that person.

To better understand the context of these design challenges, we’re going highlight several levels of human and environmental factors.

Also consider our previous articles:

• iPhone design mistakes: Overdesign

You are on level 1. If you want to create an app that the customers will love — zoom out.

Level 2: Understand the needs and limitations of the person using your app

Measure twice and cut once — that indeed is a very effective strategy. For you as an iPhone app developer, that means before you start coding it's very important to step back and try to answer these questions:

• Who will be using your application?
• What are the capabilities of that person?
• What are the limitations of that person?

Answering these questions will broaden your perspective, and better prepare you to address your customer’s needs. And there's a whole Human Factors profession dedicated to just that.

The following are some of the most prominent physical and cognitive ergonomic factors pertaining to the iPhone.

Basic physical ergonomics

Our fingers are not mouse pointers. Our fingertips have one important property: the surface area, and it is not equal to one pixel.

In many applications, tapable objects are way too small, making the interface frustrating to use.

Here's one example: In iFitness, different muscle groups are indicated with red pins. Tapping a pin brings up the name of the relevant muscle, and if you tap the name again, you get a list of exercises to develop that muscle.

The pins are twice as small as those used in the google maps app. It's very hard to tap the pin you want, because the surface of your fingertip covers an area that includes 3 or more pins. Instead, you end up tapping repeatedly on the area, enabling random pins, and wishing that you could sharpen your finger. After more than a few tries, you get lucky and hit the right one.

Which one of this pins will be activated if you tap on them?

Here are some ideas for addressing these ergonomic challenges:

1. Make buttons and other tappable objects bigger.
2. If it's impossible to make the button bigger, then enlarge the clickable area to be larger then the button itself.
3. Reduce the number of options on each screen and make selection process sequential. (Arm Muscles → Biceps)
4. Implement multi-touch gestures within the interface.
   Example: Selecting a muscle group in iFitness would be made easier by introducing a two finger zoom feature.

Unfortunately, we’re not superheroes. Apps need to take vision limitations into account.

On average, mobile phones are used in worse lighting conditions then computers. Think about the people who will be using your app on a bumpy bus or train, or while walking down a sunny street.

Even if the app itself is useful and perfectly executed, people will be reluctant to use it if it’s hard to see what's going on.

Here are a few examples of potentially useful apps that do not account for vision limitations. .

Tweet deck

Fish-tycoon

Here are some ideas on how to avoid these mistakes:

1. Only choose elements that are absolutely necessary. Make them bigger and get rid of everything else. If needed, create additional screens with fewer options.
2. Remember that pixel dimensions on the iPhone are smaller than the pixels on your computer screen. That means screenshots viewed on your iPhone emulator look larger than they will on the iPhone itself, even though the resolution is the same.

Author holds an iPhone (163 ppi) infront of Apple Cinema 30' display (~100 ppi)
Your iPhone screen layout might look fine when viewed on a computer emulator. But don’t be fooled – things appear much smaller on the iPhone because of its smaller pixel dimensions.

Level 3: Understand challenges specific to the user’s environment.

Goals and environment

Your app usually plays a small role in achieving a bigger goal. The better you understand what goals people have and what they need to achieve them, the better you can design your app to satisfy those needs (which obviously directly affects download rates).

Mobile phones are often used in loud, distracting environments. Even just a stroll though town offers plenty of noisy distractions (cars, dogs, mail carriers, etc).

Consider the following examples. Which voice memo app does a better job?

Apple Voice memos	vs	iTalk

Although Apple Voice Memos looks nice, I say iTalk addresses user goals and their environment much better. Think about it: Why would someone want to record a voice memo rather than write a note? The audio format is less advantageous then having something in writing. You can’t scan, edit, or enhance audio information as easily as text. In most scenarios, sending text is a much more convenient way to exchange information.

So why and, more importantly, when do people use voice memos? When they are not able to type. The most common situation is probably a driving scenario.

Drivers who text have a 23 times greater risk of a collision than drivers who don’t text. (NYTimes summarizes Virginia Tech Transportation Institute findings). Which application would be easier to use in such an environment? The one with a big shiny mic and a very small and hard to reach record button (especially for right-handed)? Or the one with a red record button half of the size of the screen? Certainly, the latter.

Additionally, it’s important to assure the user that the recorder is even working. Which interface communicates system status more clearly? Where do you tap when you’re done?

Apple Voice memos	vs	iTalk

If we’re judging which design works better overall, iTalk wins. Apple Voice looks great when you're checking it out on your friend's phone, but performs poorly in a real world context.

Mobile Phones, Networking and Community

The mobile phone is, without a doubt, a social tool. The more people are involved, the more engaging the experience is. Think about it -- if you were the only one who had a phone, it wouldn’t be a very useful product.

YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were driven by the understanding that we are social beings -- we want to share! Imagine how dramatically designing for greater social interaction will change the mobile world.

With the seemingly infinite ways technology now allows us to capture and share information, it’s common to feel swamped with info overload. To survive, applications must utilize the iPhone platform to be as efficient as possible. Here are some inspiring examples:

Bump.

"Bump makes swapping contact information and photos as simple as bumping two phones together. No typing, no searching a list for the right person, no mistakes." (iTunes Store description)

Mover:

"Ever wished you could send something to the iPhone right next to you? Do it with style with Mover" (iTunes Store description)

Daily mugshot

"Daily Mugshot is a free service which helps you chronicle daily images of yourself and share them as an animated sequence." (iTunes Store description)

Loopt

"Loopt transforms your mobile phone into a social compass to discover and navigate the world around you. Use Loopt to see who's around, what to do, and where to go" (iTunes store description)

How loopt works (video):

Level 4: The environment is part of a greater culture

Your ability to address the unique needs of different cultures will affect the success of your product. It's too expensive to ignore them, especially if your app is selling worldwide.

Design should adapt to regional challenges. Here’s an illustration of this by Jacob Nielsen, a leading usability expert:

“In Sweden, the Automatic Teller Machines have very large buttons. I hadn't noticed this particular design element on previous visits, which have usually been in warmer months. In 1996 I was in Stockholm in February and immediately realized why the ATM buttons are so big: you can press them wearing thick gloves.” (J. Nielsen International usability testing, 1996)

Such insights are only gained by understanding the product in its real world context.

Graphic designers' point of view:

"... Understanding the object in context moves graphic design from a purely formal arena to a social and political one." ("Design Literacy", by Steven Heller and Karen Pomeroy, 1997, Allworth press, New York, NY)

More wisdom from Nielsen:

“A system must match the user's cultural characteristics. This goes beyond simply avoiding offensive icons; it must accommodate the way business is conducted and the way people communicate in various countries.” (J. Nielsen International usability testing, 1996)

Apple studied American users and aimed to address American user’s goals. That's why the iPhone is so popular in US. But it didn’t succeed in Japan. The handsets are selling so poorly they are giving them away for free.

Conclusion: excellence is achieved through hard work

Designing a great app isn’t a simple task. Jacob Nielsen recently stated that “The mobile user experience is still miserable”. (J. Nielsen, Alertbox, July 20, 2009: Mobile Usability)

Extracting user insights is a challenge. People have difficulty saying what they want -- typically they only know it when they see it. But developers don't have to tackle user research on their own. Interaction designers are trained to pinpoint relevant user groups, talk to customers and to read between the lines. They work to understand how real world context affects an application's design.

It takes a lot of legwork, but your efforts to understand user needs will be rewarded. Exploring the forefront of mobile technology is an exciting place to be.