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Different websites provide different kinds of value. If we want to ensure that our designs are usable, we should understand what our users will want to do: consume or create.
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[Usability Foundations with Dan Gorgone, Improving Usability]
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Different websites provide different kinds of value.
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Some content may be information that can be viewed and shared while others provide helpful details to accomplish a task
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such as making a purchase, finding a location, or making contact.
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If we want to ensure that our designs are usable, we should understand what our users will want to do, consume or create.
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[Amit Bijlani] When mobile apps came out most of the mobile apps were for consuming,
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and by consuming I mean like you'll have readers who are you're reading like Flipboard where your reading a magazine style articles
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or Instagram or Facebook.
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You're still consuming a lot of information.
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What creation is concerned very few apps do this, but then you have the apps where they take creations to another level
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where you are submitting or request for "on-the-go" and there's this like pages and pages of form fields.
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Now, when I'm on-the-go and I have this tiny screen and I have to fill out this like 20-field form,
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it's terrible usability because I'm frustrated that I have to fill out such as a large form in such a small screen.
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If you measure the failure rate on that form, you'll end up seeing that a lot of people bail on it
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because nobody wants to fill out a 20-field form on a small screen.
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The approach should be that you should focus on doing one thing at a time.
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I'm not saying like, "Hey, if you have a long form to fill out, you shouldn't give them one field at a time,
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but maybe you can chunk that down or group it down, so that they're filling out that information only the information
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and then later on when they're on the desktop they can fill out the rest of the information."
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By creation, you are eliminating a lot of the unnecessary stuff that goes on when you are creating on a desktop.
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And, by consumption, you are consuming on-the-go, so you want to make sure that you take into account
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all the contextual information of the user.
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If they are consuming a weather app, don't require them to fill out where they are.
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You can get that information directly from the device.
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Or if they are looking for real estate around them,
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you can also get that information from the device
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and you can have them fill out some of the prerequisite information,
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so they are not having to fill out the data over and over again
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that "Hey, my requirements are this."
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[Dan Gorgone] When considering the type of content to feature on your site or mobiles,
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it's important to anticipate which users will access your site using a phone or tablet and why.
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Are their goals different from when they visit your site with a laptop?
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If your users are consuming content, you can bet that they're looking for the latest news and updates
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and perhaps want to search to find something specific.
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So don't bury content behind navigation or additional links. Put it front and center.
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Social apps like Twitter and Facebook serve up status updates on the first page users see, and other sites can learn from this.
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If you are in the business of providing latest news and updates, make sure you're getting to it as quickly as possible.
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If users need specific content, provide an easy-to-find and use search.
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If your users are creating content, it means they want to produce some texts, take pictures or videos,
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and potentially refine that content for posting or sharing it.
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Content creation apps often present users with the first step of this process right off the bat,
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such as allowing users to take a picture or select one if the goal is to produce visual content.
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However, what if your users are walking around, in the car, or perhaps looking for your physical store?
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What could they possibly be looking for on your site?
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If you do have a store, clearly, a locations finder can be a big help.
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Some sites will ask users to enter an address or location, but as we mentioned earlier,
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smarter apps will get the users location through the device
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and provide an instant list, map, or perhaps even the directions to the nearest store.
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Smart shoppers have also began using apps to check the prices of the things they want to buy.
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In fact, many users will visit one store to see the products in person
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and then use an app for a competitor to see if they can save money by going elsewhere.
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These apps have prioritized pricing information as well as the interface,
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allowing users to quickly scan products to search for them
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rather than have to type anything in.
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If you're a designer, you might be wondering, do I really need to build my portfolio so it can be viewed on the phone?
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Do people really look for designers this way?
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Well, to answer your questions consider this scenario.
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What would happen if your portfolio doesn't look good on a mobile?
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People considering your services want to know that you've considered the mobile angle.
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And, if it doesn't look like you have, they're going to find someone else who has.
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Therefore, make sure your information is readily accessible and looks good
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no matter what device your perspective clients used to find you.
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