| 5 Dec 2014
Mobile computing is about getting things done easier and faster. Earlier, which now feels almost ancient, Mobile Computing was limited to the usage of SMS, configuring ringtones, themes, wallpapers and very limited streaming of TV content on mobile devices. Any WAP-based application was a major accomplishment. Delivering a WAP-enabled website was going way beyond users’ expectations, as they never had one such.
When I helped launch a “speed” content application for one of the leading telecom companies, there was an unprecedented response from the users, with up to 1,00,000 messages in three days. As technology enhanced, we needed applications that could handle at least 10,000 messages per second, and this just about meets users’ expectations. Mobile service providers will consider that as a deficient service, given that there are millions of concurrent users. Imagine not being able to send a message in favor of your favorite singer or dancer. Youth would wince at such an application, and you would lose them as users forever. Changing faster than technology is users’ need and mobile is shaping their everyday lives. Disagree with me at your own peril; call it your inability to accept change around you.
When was the last time you bought something online without looking for a better deal around you, or without checking with your social set-up? Mobile experiences place a premium on speed and anything that gets in the users’ way will act as a deterrent for their repeated use of any app. Successful mobile apps deliver an experience that only offers what’s necessary – but determining what’s truly necessary is far from obvious.
Reminiscing my experience of building applications over the last ten years, it’s astonishing, the transformation in my own thought process and my approach to building applications that are predominantly mobile-first. A few snippets:
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