Posted by Brett Cortese in ux, html5, multi-device

The 3 Components of a Successful Multi-Device Solution (cont’d)

The number of mobile users is expected to surpass desktop or browser-based clients by 2014, prompting many companies to deploy rich Internet applications that span across mobile devices, tablets, and kiosks. Organizations that adopt a “keep up” strategy end up creating apps as they always have: another way to integrate Facebook with Twitter and your grocery list with Meebo that can appear on your TV screen while playing Wii. While many find safety in the mundane approach to application development, the real leaders will be defined by innovative, first-to-market solutions that focus on the user and the platform.

The goal is clear. Build solutions that scale and matter to users. This requires new thinking, a bold strategy and the ability to prioritize. It also requires deftly skilled User Experience Design (UX).

User Experience
While UX may seem like an artistic enigma, having a cohesive design across devices may be the most important part of your multi-device strategy. Readers judge a book by its cover, but users judge a solution by its design—good UX lets them easily sell their vintage records for a fortune on eBay, while bad UX means they delete an app forever (and bad-mouth it on the social strata).

The most common mistake when designing for a mobile platform is to simply port an existing desktop application to a smaller device. Devices have capabilities that browsers don’t, while some functions simply don’t make sense on a 3.5-inch screen. Likewise, users have a comfort level with and personal connection to their devices. You must respect this relationship and balance it with what those devices can do.

The keyword here is relevance. In order to be innovative, you must focus on where the user finds relevance on the device, and the platform.

That’s why successful deployment and user acceptance of a multi-device strategy requires a disciplined process and approach. Best practices begin with research—funding research, user studies, subject matter expert research, business viability and technical feasibility studies. You must then weigh this data to achieve the best balance between user-centric solutions and business-value gains.

Technology
Today, we have new development tools, platforms, and languages, each with different benefits. We also have new problems to solve, like battery life and data formats. But the technology evaluation process doesn’t stop with device capabilities.

As mentioned, you must understand the user-device relationship to make the right platform choice. If your design requires a “native” look and feel then you’ll be building with native platform technologies. If it calls for a “consistent” look and feel, then HTML5 may be a viable option. Your final development technology decisions should be made as a result of evaluating devices, technologies, and user experience against your critical success factors.

What many organizations fail to take into account, however, is the complexity of data delivery. This diagram is an example of a real-world enterprise system architecture. 

In this technology landscape, there’s a multitude of decisions to be made regarding development technologies, services, and content. Having practical experience in this arena is critical. It’s one thing to write a simple, one-off Android or iPhone application. Developing an application that needs to service an enterprise or potentially millions of consumers is an entirely different matter.

The real complexity lies in API Management, where you must address a plethora of technology challenges in your overall architecture, like security, scalability, service calls, data formats, threat protection, and existing services.

Directly or indirectly, everything you see depicted in the API Management spectrum contributes to the overall performance of your multi-device solution. You must evaluate security and API translation with the same precision and attention to detail. You must consider protocol management with the same vigor as you would burst protection. One weak link in the chain can cause an entire solution to buckle and fail. This alone is why it’s critical to work with partners who have experience in these areas.

Evolving Innovation
You have the power to bring innovative solutions to your users and allow them to evolve their experience, but the playing field is complex and the possibilities endless. Only by choosing a partner with knowledge and experience can you produce a successful multi-device solution that attracts and retains customers in a constantly changing market.

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