Thanksgiving
Day , November 23, 2000
Firms Must Embrace "Microdesign" To Overhaul
Today's Woeful WAP Experience
Today's WAP sites fall short by failing to
recognize mobile users' unique needs. However,
before overhauling their mobile Internet sites,
firms must master the new competency of "Microdesign," built
on effortless navigation and concise content.
This is the central argument of a new Report
by Forrester Research B.V.
To understand how today's WAP sites serve today's
mobile Internet users, Forrester conducted in-depth
user experience reviews of 50 WAP sites during
the first three weeks of October this year. Of
the 50 sites tested, none scored a passing grade,
and the average site failed on more than half
of our criteria.
"Today's WAP sites fail for one central reason:
firms are force-fitting existing Web content
onto a tiny screen without considering the unique
needs of mobile users," commented Carsten Schmidt,
associate analyst at Forrester. "Because of the
mobile Net's unique attributes, Web experience
doesn't yield WAP success, and the lessons learned
from years of Web site design fail to apply to
mobile devices. Instead, companies must unlearn
the Web's rules and master a new competency that
Forrester calls Microdesign."
Microdesign rests on three principles -- obvious
navigation, concise content, and automated integration
with other channels. Users must be able to tap
a site's value immediately without learning a
navigation scheme. Content must be optimized
for small screens and only users who demand more
depth should see it. And mobile offerings must
synchronize with other channels, like the Web
and iDTV, invisibly and immediately. Forrester
believes that by failing to address Microdesign,
firms risk brand erosion, decreased traffic in
other channels, lost revenues, and ultimately,
lost customers.
"Microdesign requires more than a new set of
best practices," Schmidt added. "Mobile customers
demand a shift away from site designers and success
metrics, toward an approach that opposes the
PC-based Web. To accommodate small mobile displays
-- four to five short lines plus one header --
navigation and content must be continuously interwoven,
and access to that content must be immediate,
fluid, and precise."
As PC and iDTV use grows, mobile Internet sites
must work with other channels. WAP sites must
be built on the same business rules and data
as other electronic channels. Firms must offer
Web and iDTV sites that personalize their mobile
Internet experiences, providing users with names
and passwords, and apply preferences from other
channels to mobile visitors on their first visit.
"The Web challenged companies to offer richness
and interactivity compared with print material,
and mobile devices challenge firms to create
smaller and simpler content available at anytime," Schmidt
concluded. "Mobile sites must help users get
something done quickly in as few pages as possible.
To serve time-starved users effectively, WAP
sites must become available at any relevant moment
with content edited to a minimum length. So while
the mobile Internet won't capture big direct
revenues -- only €5 billion in retail sales in
2005 -- it will influence up to 40 times as much
indirectly, which makes the application of Microdesign
imperative."
Survey Methodology
The WAP sites surveyed were balanced across 11 countries and 10
categories. Forrester relied on the Nokia 7110 phone for basic
testing but also used the Ericsson R380 and the Siemens S35 to
test browser compatibility. For each site category, Forrester
identified three key tasks -- such as checking a stock price
for financial sites or posting a bid for auctions. As we tried
to complete these tasks at each site, we graded 16 criteria on
a four-point scale: 2 (exemplary pass), 1 (pass), -1 (failure),
or -2 (critical failure).
