Forrester Research Reports: Plastic Mobile Nails User Experience in M-Commerce

We have always known that putting the user first is the cornerstone to any successful mobile solution. And we know that our clients have the utmost confidence in the quality work that we do. That being said, a little nod like being profiled as Forrester Research’s poster child for mobile UX/UI and design gives us that warm and fuzzy feeling all over.

But we won’t gloat too much – mostly because we are just really excited to see mobile UX getting its day in the sun. The international research giant put out their case study, “Pizza Pizza Cooks Up a Successful Mobile App” because they felt that “Firms new to mobile and even those that are planning second- or third-generation mobile offerings can learn from Pizza Pizza’s example.”

Plastic Mobile’s award-winning Pizza Pizza iPhone ordering app revolutionized the pizza ordering game by pairing down the ordering process to give the user what they want, faster and simpler. The app offers a complete and immersive m-commerce experience that allows customers to customize their pizza, repeat a previous order and save their favourite locations in just a few quick taps.

Reports such as this Forrester study really highlight the distinct gap in the market between mobile solutions that are approached with user TLC, and those that are built quickly and technically, without designing for the user.

Our president and COO, Melody Adhami, has been talking about these missed opportunities for a while and often says that as a result of approaching mobile from a technical perspective ”agencies are not putting enough focus on usability and design, and the end user is left unsatisfied – tech should help, not hinder, the user’s experience with mobile.”

The Forrester Research report details the challenges, best practice guidelines and some of the tremendous results of the mobile app. Read the entire report on our site, and learn more about the importance of designing for mobile UI and UX.

That was the question posed to me by our UX expert on Tuesday when writing our PM UX blog post.

So I thought I’d weigh in with my take on the tool tip. Here goes…

Our foremost concern when creating a mobile solution at Plastic Mobile is the end user – the person who will actually be using our product for their entertainment, everyday lifestyle or as a tool. Ergo, it’s my thought that if you have to explain your app, website, etc., you have probably missed the mark in terms of user experience; if they don’t get it right away, you’ve basically #Failed.

That being said, I am not naive. I understand and appreciate that certain things require subtle cues to prompt or gently nudge the user to properly deploy certain functions or get them started. For instance, on any iPhone, the very first screen has a sliding bar along the bottom. It actually says “slide to unlock” in faint type which is illuminated by a pretty sparkle that lights the path of the sliding bar. This is what I consider a subtle cue. Just a helpful hint to get the user started that, while clearly explains to the user what to do, doesn’t interfere with their experience. We’ve used a few of these similar nudges with various apps, including our award-winning Pizza Pizza app to help the user along the ordering process.

What I’m mostly taking issue with, is the idea that a mobile initiative should come with a manual, or require a tutorial or full explanation in order to make it useful. For me, that says that you over-complicated the application and didn’t properly consider the fundamentals of UI and UX.

What do you think? Are tool tips good, or would you rather it just be clear from the get-go? Tweet us @plasticmobile and join the conversation.

Its been a full 3 weeks since Dx3 Canada wrapped up and the buzz around the event still remains. Although we miss all the excitement from participating, we’ve been thrilled to see all the takeaways from Canada’s first ever digital trade show.

One such takeaway? Custom mobile solutions are serving as a channel of engagement and communication between brands and their customers.

Watch Sparksheet, an award-winning multiplatform magazine, as they question Melody Adhami president and COO of Plastic Mobile, at Dx3 on the direction and successes of mobile commerce.

This Mobile Snippet is a shout out to our pals over at BNOTIONS, who gave us a cameo in their Dx3 footage. Such a sweet treat on this sweet day!

Plastic Mobile will be celebrating with a special Valentine’s day lunch – heart shaped pizzas ordered on our Pizza Pizza ordering app from Pizza Pizza, our OTHER valentine sweetheart (now boys, don’t fight!).

Happy Valentine’s Day! xo

In the News

Just some of the people who think we’re pretty cool (thank you!).

Bloomberg

Market Wire

Yahoo! Finance

Canadian Business Opportunities

Euro Investor

Lou Dubois at Inc.com wrote a great article on whether your business is in need of a mobile application, or not. He digs deeper into the mobile space, questioning whether an application is useful for all business. Showcasing our very own Pizza Pizza app and lots of excerpts from our Queen Melody Adhami, this article is an excellent resource for anyone that has thought about an application for their business. Everyone’s needs are different, and we understand that. Applications need to be tailored to the business objectives and consumer needs. Lou lays out a series of useful questions to ask yourself before going down the route of a mobile app.

You can read the full article here.

Plastic Mobile was featured on App Central show with technology host Amber Mac. The show airs on the popular Business News Network (BNN), CTV, and CP24. Watch it now below:

Last Sunday, we were in New York to celebrated our Webby win for our Pizza Pizza app. The Award show was hosted by the hilarious Lisa Kudrow. Every winner had the chance to give a 5 WORD acceptance speech. Check out the video below on what Plastic Mobile and Pizza Pizza said:

(May 3^rd, 2011)  Plastic Mobile and Pizza Pizza are honored to win a Webby Award for their recently launched pizza ordering iPhone app. Under the category of Mobile Shopping for smartphones, the members of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences awarded the Webby to our Pizza Pizza app. This mobile ordering app was in the running with giant US brands such as Target, Walgreens, Consumer Reports, and Gilt.

In the entire category of mobile, both Plastic Mobile and Pizza Pizza are the only Canadian company to receive this prestigious award. “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award and excited to represent Canada at the Webby Gala,” says Melody Adhami, co-founder of Plastic Mobile and crowned Queen of Apps, Globe & Mail.

The 15^th Annual Webby Awards attracted nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 US states and over 60 countries worldwide, as it’s the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet that includes mobile, websites, online film & TV, etc. The Pizza Pizza app has been ranked #1 Lifestyle app in the Apple iTunes store, and a favorite app among Canadians.

Share this news on Facebook and Twitter – use a shorten URL:

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Our Twitter & Hashtag:
@PlasticMobile
@PizzaPizzaLTD
@TheWebbyAwards
#webbys

Download the Pizza Pizza app:
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/pizza-pizza/id425026119

Graphics of the app:

http://www.plasticmobile.com/media-pizza-pizza-iphone-app/

Media Contact for Plastic Mobile:

Salome Sallehy