PM UX: Two for one! iThrowU and Chattr

The Smashing Cartoons by Smashing Magazine

This week, I want to change things up a bit. Instead of just discussing one app, I’d like to review two of them and highlight some things that caught my eye. I will be focusing less on each app as a whole and more on individual features or elements that influence the overall UX.

Let’s get started:

1. iThrowU

IThrowU is one of the more popular photo/text sharing apps available these days. It delivers an enjoyable experience packaged in a neat and simple user interface that’s also nice to look at. What I like most about this app, and the reason it caught my attention, is the use of iPhone’s gyroscope technology.

In iThrowU, users don’t just tap a button to share like they do in other similar apps. Instead, when they are ready to share, users simply hold their phones (tightly!) and make a throwing motion.

I think interactions like this are fun, engaging and make for a pleasantly different experience. I also believe that thinking outside the box in order to creatively employ available technologies, goes a long way in creating an app that stands out from the crowd.

2. Chattr

Chattr is an all-in-one messenger app that allows users to carry out coverstations on Facebook, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Google Talk and Yahoo! Messenger, all at once.

Now, while there are many apps out there with similar levels of functionality, simply put, I like Chattr because it looks nice. What I’m getting at, is that with all else being equal, visual appeal can play a big role in the overall user experience.

Chattr’s secret is a well-designed UI coupled with beautiful themes (backgrounds).  Users can select from a list of pre-loaded background images, take a picture or import from their camera roll.

I also really liked Chattr’s use of gestures controls for navigating between chats and managing open chats. I’m definitely a fan of gesture controls and I believe them to make apps more fun and interactive. I sometimes find that apps can get boring when all you’re doing is mindlessly tapping away.

Again, we go back to the whole taking advantage of available technology thing. I am a strong believer that when you are developing an app for a device such as the iPhone, with its beautiful high-resolution screen, it would be silly not to ensure your design uses that screen to its full potential.

For example, and for the sake of argument, let’s just pretend that Chattr and Facebook Messenger did the exact same things, in the exact same ways. Let’s take it even further and say that the only difference between the two apps was the way they looked at a glance. From the screenshots below, which would you choose?

My point is that the more technologies an app takes advantage of, and the more innovatively those technologies are used, the better the experience that app will deliver.  That’s not to say that app developers should force this, but instead should consider which technologies could possible be used, and determine if they will actually enhance the end user experience.

However, it should be noted that there are multitudes of other things to consider while developing an idea for an app, or while designing and developing the app itself. Focusing too much on any one facet can possibly cause others to be overlooked. So what I am saying is, make it fun, memorable but perhaps not gimmicky – i.e. don’t force them to shake the phone each time they want to delete a letter. Find the balance and you shall succeed.

M-commerce VS. E-commerce

There are a few fundamental differences between m-commerce and e-commerce in terms of their origins, technologies and the nature of the services they can offer. Not to mention the way people choose, buy, access and use mobile apps is different from the way they behave on the web.

Unlike PC users, mobile users are on the move, in a hurry and easily distracted. They want the service they’re looking for right here and right now, without long instructions, long installation or loading time.

Although the marketplace for mobile apps is still relatively young compared to web, it is rapidly growing. The development of e-commerce was due to the rapid growth of the Internet; the growth of mobile segment is due to its convenience, ease of use, and sophistication of smartphones.

On the world wide web, much is given away for free or at discount prices with the hopes to monetize sites (using ad revenue) based on traffic. M-commerce however, is rooted in paid-for-service in the mobile phone industry where business competition is growing in Canada, especially with introduction of new entrants such as Wind Mobile, Public Mobile, Mobilicity, and so on.

An extension or explosion?

Many might think of m-commerce as an extension of e-commerce; we however believe that it’ll definitely have a greater impact on the daily routines of consumers and more importantly the businesses.  It’s more an explosion than an extension primarily because:

1. People have a more intimate relationship with their Mobile phones vs. their computer.
2. Mobile phones are not limited by location and by their very nature, are everywhere.
3. Mobile devices are filing up “boredom time” on the go that retailers have never before had access to.
4. Tempting mobile trends are constantly introduced to more than ever before sophisticated mobile devices. In a nutshell, mobile is hot!
   
5. M-commerce is supposed to enable us to buy everything from anywhere over the Internet without the use of a PC.
6. M-commerce is not limited by the same barriers initially faced by e-commerce in the mind of users.  For example, users do not have the same level of apprehension providing their credit card details digitally as they did with the first wave of e-commerce. The analogy I like to use is, M-commerce is like the younger sibling of e-commerce: e-commerce dealt with all the hardships and paved the way for m-commerce to lead a fairly hassle free journey with the consumer.

M-commerce, E-commerce, how they differ?

• High cost is one of the major characteristics of m-commerce. In the telecom world, users pay for airtime as opposed to almost free internet access in the e-commerce world.
• In m-commerce, the services are usually delivered to a specific region, via wireless providers. In e-commerce on the other hand, the wide accessibility of the internet makes any service globally available.
• In contrast with E-commerce, M-commerce applications are rather simple, more personalized, location-specific, and time-sensitive.
• A mobile device usually accompanies a person wherever he or she goes; therefore m-commerce creates a more intimate relationship with the user than other mediums.
• For time sensitive, simple transactions such as movie ticket purchases, banking, and travel reservations, m-commerce is seemingly more useful than e-commerce.
• For location-based applications such as traveler navigation, emergency response, and etc, m-commerce tends to be better as it is not limited to being in a place with a computer or laptop.

In general we believe that we can categorize internet based e-commerce into B2C and B2B, while classifications to  m-commerce are P2P (Person to Person) and P2S (Person to System).

Although many companies believe mobile commerce is still blossoming, mobile users’ increased adaptation to smartphones should be an emergency awakening call for businesses. Retailers should start outlining the right strategy for themselves: view the mobile space as an opportunity to influence consumers’ buying decisions and learn how to take advantage of the opportunity.

That’s okay. We’ve put together a package that will help solve all your M-commerce needs!

Dear Retailers,

As your welcome package to the mobile tech world, we’ve summed up the 10 basic MUSTS you need to know before implementing M-commerce as your survival guide. We wish you good luck on your mobile journey & we are sure it’ll be an interesting, constantly evolving, and highly competitive one.

Your neighbourhood friendly mobile experts,                      

Plastic Mobile

Top 10 Musts:

1. Know who your consumers are, how you should reach them, and how, when & why they use their mobile devices.
2. Know what you want to achieve through mobile commerce. Have an objective – yes, we are aware of how simple that sounds, and yet how daunting the task really is.
3. Pay attention to security concerns. Consumers are still wary about purchasing online which makes them even more resistant to this medium. Instill confidence in your users by developing a secure application form a reliable source, like us. We’re okay with shameless self-promotion.
4. Allow for quick-fill capabilities during the checkout process to let users rapidly enter billing and shipping information.
5. Make sure your site is accessible via any mobile device, as some consumers may start with their mobile browsers, rather than an application.
6. Offer Mobile-based loyalty programs & rewards. Consumers like incentives, especially when you’re trying to get them to use a new platform.
7. Ensure that your mobile applications have the ability to keep up with the changing capabilities of each device. Keeping up to date is key in this space.
8. Provide a quick, seamless M-commerce experience. Shoppers expect the experience to be seamless and simple. If you create a good user experience, you’ll get repeat visits and sales.
9. Make sure the mobile commerce system configures well with the existing systems. learn the lessons of mobile commerce from others who did it right or wrong.
10. Have a clear understanding of differences between m-commerce and e-commerce. For more information go to our post on e-commerce VS. m-commerce.