Journal 5: Mobile Interactive Design in Gphone

Belle (Ying-Tzu) Huang

Com 597: Theories and Practice of Interactivity

Autumn 2007

Nov. 7 2007

 

Journal 5

Mobile Interactive Design in Gphone

 

Let’s talk about the big technology story this week.

 

A broad alliance of leading technology and wireless companies today joined forces to announce the development of Android, the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola and others have collaborated on the development of Android through the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance of technology and mobile industry leaders.[1]

 

Nokia wasn’t in this list before Google first time announced the Open Handset Alliance. However, one day after, the biggest handset company in the world, Nokia, said that they would welcome Google’s plans to provide software for use in mobile phones, saying access to third-party applications is part of the Finnish telecommunications company's core strategy.[2]

 

Open Platform

 

Google estimated that Open Handset Alliance will address a set of completed” Software Development Kit” from Android next week. This time, Google is trying to change the ecology of our handsets and most of mobile telecommunication system. Although the level of “open” in World Wide Web was taken as a matter of course, our handsets and all kinds of telecommunication devices are basically individual and separated. Every device has its own operating system and developing environment. A package of mobile software could never be used on different handsets.

 

Today, there are 1.5 billion television sets in use around the world. 1 billion people are on the Internet. But nearly 3 billion people have a mobile phone, making it one of the world's most successful consumer products.[3] Building a better mobile phone with better interactive interface would enrich the lives of countless people across the globe.

 

Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application could call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that has been designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android will be open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.[4]

 

Video of introducing Android: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rYozIZOgDk

 

Before the Android, Google announced the “OpenSocial” software platform on Nov. 5^th.[5] It’s the same spirit of “truly sharing.”  OpenSocial is a set of common APIs for building social applications across the web. The partnership spearheads an initiative to standardize and simplify the development of social applications. Google's announcement underscored MySpace's commitment to supporting standards that foster innovation in an increasingly social Web.

 

Google hopes that OpenSocial could share users’ information and create value through the distribution. I believe that more people write the application programs, more system developers will focus on what users’ real needs. Thus, it is an ideal way to improve interaction design in mobile industry. 

 

Software Adoption

 

Back to Nokia, my target in the final project. Last November, YouTube announced YouTube Mobile, a project that will allow mobile phones access to the massive database of YouTube movies. Verizon was first on board; and now, the much popular Nokia wants to join the excitement. [6]

 

Many mobile phone browsers are not compatible with Flash 9, the same format behind all the current YouTube content; however, Youtube Mobile bridges the gap between the phone and the format. Users no longer need to send their friends a URL or even have access to a computer to share videos. 

 

Nokia and Youtube have worked out a deal that will let Nokia’s N-series of Internet capable phones to access the YouTube Mobile website[7], through the Nokia Web Browser. The N-series phones will support YouTube RSS feeds; allowing users to view such feeds as the most recent or highest rated videos on the system, or specific RSS feeds modeled around a certain genre.

 

Ten Usability Heuristics for Nokia’s Review

 

What if I had a magic cell phone?[8] What will I wish an ideal mobile handset could bring to me? According to Jakob Nielsen’s “Ten Usability Heuristics,” ten general principles for user interface design, I came out some suggestions for Nokia’s review in the future interactive usability design.

 

1. Visibility of system status

A good mobile phone should always keep users informed about what is going on.

Ex. Dialog window, Red/green button, Navi-Key, Page-up

 

2. Match between system and the real world

A good mobile phone should speak the users' language.

Ex. Daily conversation, Graphic icons, Touch screen, Wi-fi

 

3. User control and freedom

Users often choose system functions by mistake.

Ex. Support undo and redo, Dialog window, Clear exit option

 

4. Consistency and standards

Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing.

 

That is one of the benefits on Open Handset Alliance, if the application is common, once people learn how to use an individual application, they could always completely imitate to other handset. Since Nokia represented that they would like to join; now their problem is how to drag in those applications with consistency in their original HCI design.    

 

5. Error prevention

Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place.

Ex. Dialog window, Page-up, Clear error message with visual and audio feedback

 

6. Recognition rather than recall

Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible.

Ex. Graphic icons which is map to the real-world, Visible actions (like countdown bar, processing bar)

 

7. Flexibility and efficiency of use

Accelerators may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users.

Ex. Allow users to tailor frequent actions, Menu, Frequently call list, Hot-key, Dock bar

 

8. Aesthetic and minimalist design

Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed.

 

9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Error messages should be expressed in plain language, precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.

 

10. Help and documentation

Documentation should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.

 

 

Reference

 

Picture comes from: REUTERS/Google/Handout

The Google Personalized Home page is seen on a mobile phone in this undated handout. Google Inc. said on Monday it would offer a software system to make the Internet work as smoothly on mobile phones as it does on computers, seeking to spur change in a tightly controlled industry.

Picture comes from: REUTERS/Kimberly White

The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet sits on display at the Web. 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, California October 18, 2007. Nokia would not rule out taking part in Google Inc's new mobile software alliance, which is seen rivaling Nokia's own plans, a spokesman for the world's top mobile phone maker said on Tuesday.

 

Industry Leaders Announce Open Platform for Mobile Devices, Google Press Center, Nov. 5, 2007

http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20071105_mobile_open.html

 

Introducing the Gphone: Google enters the mobile phone market, The Daily Mail, Nov. 5, 2007

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=491899&in_page_id=1811

 

Google: Android Has No Built-in Business Model, Wired.com, Nov. 5, 2007

http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/11/google-android-.html

 

Google gets into Smartphone Linux OS game, Computer Business Review, Nov. 6, 2007

http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=60E3B9B8-B32D-4095-9C60-698CA1EBDDE8

 

MySpace and Google Join Forces to Launch Open Platform for Social Application Development, Google Press Center, Nov. 1, 2007

http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/myspace_opensocial.html

 

Google pitches Gphones to Verizon, CNET News.com, Oct. 30, 2007

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9808106-7.html?tag=nefd.blgs

 

Nokia says door open to Google alliance, Reuter, Nov. 6, 2007

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL0617473720071106

 

Nokia Welcomes Google's Android Platform, Says Openness Is Key, CNNMoney.com, Nov. 6, 2007

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200711061024DOWJONESDJONLINE000433_FORTUNE5.htm

 

Nokia interested in Google’s Android mobile phone OS?, Danny Mendez, Nov. 6, 2007

http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/11/06/nokia-interested-in-googles-android-mobile-phone-os/

 

Nokia challenges iPhone with direct-to-mobile music store, Arnold Zafra, Aug. 29, 2007

http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/08/29/nokia-challenges-iphone-with-direct-to-mobile-music-store/

 

Nokia to help YouTube win mobile market, George Gardner, Feb. 12, 2007

http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/02/12/nokia-to-help-youtube-win-mobile-market/

 

Google's View of Our Cell Phone Future Isn't a GPhone, TidBits.com, Glenn Fleishman, Nov. 5, 2007 http://db.tidbits.com/article/9291