Deploying Mobile Apps – The Secret Sauce

I had a meeting with a client today in Manhattan. It was a beautiful, state of the art conference room. An impressive, long conference table surrounded by tall leather chairs. Around the room were numerous flat screen monitors linked to a very high tech system which included a global video conference system, which enabled us to speak face to face with dozens of people in numerous locations. It wasn’t that long ago that I remember giving presentations with an overhead projector and foils.

It was an impressive system, until I realized that there was a full time technical person in the room who was running all the equipment. The system was so complex that even with the full time, dedicated technician there were instances when the presentation was interrupted with technical difficulties.

It got me thinking about useful technology. There are many great technologies – but those that truly make an impact are those where the technology does not get in the way of the function. Think about the ATM machine. The first ATM machine was installed in New York City in 1961, but removed 6 months later due to lack of customer acceptance. It’s likely that this early version was not easy to use and didn’t replace the service of the live bank teller. Most of us did not start using ATMs with any regularity for another decade or more.

Now apply this simple analogy to mobile technologies. If a mobile user downloads an app or hits a mobile website and it’s not easy to use, they will likely move on and not return. When considering existing customers this can have a negative impression on their perceptions of your company. But more importantly is the lost opportunity when considering a potential customer who is interacting with your company for the first time.

The secret sauce of any mobile experience is ensuring that it’s self evident in it’s operation. Most mobile apps don’t have an opportunity to train the user. There may be occasional opportunities for deep applications such as an app for trading stocks and other investments, but for the large majority the app has to stand on it’s own.

So the secret sauce of usability for any mobile app or website is to ensure that the consumer can use it the first time, without the app getting in the way of the function. Considering that one customer may be a Harvard Ph.D. and the next may be using a mobile app for the first time ever; this is no small task.

When considering your customer facing mobile initiatives, don’t forget the secret sauce.

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Tags: Business Mobility, Business Process, Customer Self Care, Enterprise Mobility, Human Centered Mobility, Increase Customer Satisfaction, Matt Torgersen, Mobile Apps, Mobile Customer Service, Mobile Devices, Mobile Self Service, Mobile Web, Mobility - General, Pragmatic Mobility