Designing the Mobile User Experience [Hardcover]

Barbara Ballard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470033614 | ISBN-13: 978-0470033616 | Publication Date: April 17, 2007 | Edition: 1

Gain the knowledge and tools to deliver compelling mobile phone applications.

Mobile and wireless application design is complex and challenging. Selecting an application technology and designing a mobile application require an understanding of the benefits, costs, context, and restrictions of the development company, end user, target device, and industry structure.

Designing the Mobile User Experience provides the experienced product development professional with an understanding of the users, technologies, devices, design principles, techniques and industry players unique to the mobile and wireless space. Barbara Ballard describes the different components affecting the user experience and principles applicable to the mobile environment, enabling the reader to choose effective technologies, platforms, and devices, plan appropriate application features, apply pervasive design patterns, and choose and apply appropriate research techniques.

Designing the Mobile User Experience:

• Provides a comprehensive guide to the mobile user experience, offering guidance to help make appropriate product development and design decisions.
• Gives product development professionals the tools necessary to understand development in the mobile environment.
• Clarifies the components affecting the user experience and principles uniquely applicable to the mobile application field.
• Explores industry structure and power dynamics, providing insight into how mobile technologies and platforms become available on current and future phones.
• Provides user interface design patterns, design resources, and user research methods for mobile user interface design.
• Illustrates concepts with example photographs, explanatory tables and charts, and an example application.

Designing the Mobile User Experience is an invaluable resource for information architects, user experience planners and designers, interaction designers, human factors specialists, ergonomists, product marketing specialists, and brand managers. Managers and directors within organizations entering the mobile space, advanced students, partnership managers, software architects, solution architects, development managers, graphic designers, visual designers, and interface designers will also find this to be an excellent guide to the topic.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Gain the knowledge and tools to deliver compelling mobile phone applications.

Mobile and wireless application design is complex and challenging. Selecting an application technology and designing a mobile application require an understanding of the benefits, costs, context, and restrictions of the development company, end user, target device, and industry structure.

Designing the Mobile User Experience provides the experienced product development professional with an understanding of the users, technologies, devices, design principles, techniques and industry players unique to the mobile and wireless space. Barbara Ballard describes the different components affecting the user experience and principles applicable to the mobile environment, enabling the reader to choose effective technologies, platforms, and devices, plan appropriate application features, apply pervasive design patterns, and choose and apply appropriate research techniques.

Designing the Mobile User Experience:

• Provides a comprehensive guide to the mobile user experience, offering guidance to help make appropriate product development and design decisions.
• Gives product development professionals the tools necessary to understand development in the mobile environment.
• Clarifies the components affecting the user experience and principles uniquely applicable to the mobile application field.
• Explores industry structure and power dynamics, providing insight into how mobile technologies and platforms become available on current and future phones.
• Provides user interface design patterns, design resources, and user research methods for mobile user interface design.
• Illustrates concepts with example photographs, explanatory tables and charts, and an example application.

Designing the Mobile User Experience is an invaluable resource for information architects, user experience planners and designers, interaction designers, human factors specialists, ergonomists, product marketing specialists, and brand managers. Managers and directors within organizations entering the mobile space, advanced students, partnership managers, software architects, solution architects, development managers, graphic designers, visual designers, and interface designers will also find this to be an excellent guide to the topic.

About the Author

Barbara Ballard is founder and principal of Little Springs Design, a mobile user experience consultancy founded in 2001. Clients have included carriers, device manufacturers, content companies, and industry associations, with projects including platform user experience, device UI design, style guides, and application design. Prior to 2001, she worked at the US carrier Sprint PCS on the user experience of devices, platforms, style guides, and data services.
Barbara has an MBA from the University of Kansas and a BS in industrial engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. She additionally has completed all coursework necessary for a doctorate in human factors and ergonomics from North Carolina State University, with significant work in engineering, psychology, and industrial design.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470033614
• ISBN-13: 978-0470033616
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice update to Handheld Usability, August 29, 2007

By 

Scott D. Weiss "Author, Handheld Usability" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designing the Mobile User Experience (Hardcover)

Handheld Usability
The above link is to a book that is easily the predecessor to "Designing the Mobile User Experience." The shame of it is that Barbara Ballard and Scott Weiss did not collaborate to produce a second edition, sharing both of their insights. Instead, Ballard writes the same book, but in 2007 instead of 2002, with many of the same weaknesses, and many of the same strengths. Readers who liked "Handheld Usability" will enjoy "Designing the Mobile User Experience," but will be frustrated by the lack of detailed WAP design advice. Also missing is detailed advice for FlashLite, UIOne, SVG, tat, Java, and other environments. Ballard is a very strong writer, with very strong opinions. Fortunately, she is very smart and knowledgable, with extensive experience working at Sprint and since, providing services to Sprint. Wiley did her a disservice by printing the book in black and white, and does a crazy disservice to readers by charging so much for the book. However, designers who want to learn about mobile will benefit from this book. Experienced mobile designers will be frustrated, as they were with "Handheld Usability." Even experienced mobile designers should consider purchasing this book, as a reference and as a supplement to their own knowledge.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice read, April 1, 2009

By 

Ronald Armas Garcia (Lima, Lima Peru) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designing the Mobile User Experience (Hardcover)

Absolutely this is a must have book for any mobile designer and geek passionate for mobile devices

3.0 out of 5 stars Dated, February 14, 2011

By 

Kris M-B - See all my reviews

This review is from: Designing the Mobile User Experience (Hardcover)

The book is well-written, and contains quite a bit of information that is still relevant... however, without already knowing what is still relevant and what isn't, it's awfully hard to filter through it. It's painfully obvious that this book went to press before touch-screen phones became popular. Unless you are designing for a number-pad-input-only phone, wait for an updated edition.