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Usability Foundations

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Location and Time

2:50 with Dan Gorgone

Mobile users want content that specifically ties into their location. If you've been looking for ways to improve the usability of your app, tying into location based content is one great way to do it.

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    [Dan Gorgone] With the popularity and success of mobile devices, 0:00
    more and more people want information and features 0:03
    that specifically tie into their location. 0:06
    Mobile sites and apps can take advantage of location information 0:09
    to provide content before the user even asks for it. 0:13
    If you've been looking for ways to improve the usability of your site, 0:16
    tying into location-based content is one great way to do it. 0:19
    For example, browsing a retail site on a laptop at home 0:24
    might offer lots of information, including a locations link 0:28
    and a form where you can enter your zip code or address 0:32
    and then you get a list of stores that you can find nearby. 0:36
    However, if a user visits the same site from a mobile device, 0:39
    one can assume they're already looking for the location 0:43
    while they're out shopping, perhaps driving around. 0:46
    Mobile devices can take usability a step further— 0:50
    simply using the device's location information and bringing up the content for you. 0:53
    Reducing the number of steps to this content is a great way to improve usability and user satisfaction. 0:59
    Some apps can offer even more information, 1:06
    combining locations and time data to tell you where their locations are 1:09
    and if they're open at that given time. 1:14
    [Amit Bijlani] I would define personally usability as 1:16
    the ability to make the most out of an app 1:21
    and the contextual surroundings. 1:25
    For example, you have an app—a store locator— 1:28
    and you're asking the user to enter a zip code. 1:33
    Now, that's not good usability because you can already get that information out of the device, 1:37
    so why not get the location information from the device 1:42
    and just get the user's permission to access that location data. 1:45
    Now, you can automatically show the user 1:50
    the locations closer to the user. 1:53
    Not only that—you might also want to show them the locations that are open 1:56
    because you know the date and time, or the day and time, 2:01
    and you know their location, so you can show them, 2:05
    here are the 5 locations that are closest to you that are open right now. 2:06
    So, that's what usability means to me— 2:11
    you have this mobile environment where you're getting contextual information where and when the user is 2:13
    and you're providing them information or the most usable way to consume that information on the go. 2:20
    [Gorgone] Therefore, consider how you can save your user steps 2:27
    and give them the content they're looking for 2:31
    by anticipating their needs from a device perspective. 2:33
    User goals are not the same from the laptop to the mobile device, 2:37
    so when you're designing for mobile or building your app, 2:41
    figure out what your users want before they ask for it and you efforts will pay off. 2:44

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