SXSW 2012 Mobile App Wireframes

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself playing around with the official South-By-South-West (SXSW) mobile app, SXSW Go, on my Android device. Great memories came back to me as I viewed my schedule of events and recalled the unwarranted amounts of inspiration, fun and education I got out of SXSW 2011.

However, in playing around with the app, I noticed some opportunities where the User Experience (UX) could've been enhanced. As a result, I conducted some fundamental user research (looking to the app reviews on the Android Market and probing my mates who went to SXSW 2011 with me) and whipped up some high-fidelity conceptual wireframes for the SXSW 2012 app.

Before we begin, I'd like to thank @c0uP, @pkattera, @reece_wagner & @jasehutch for their time in the process, either contributing ideas and insight or reviewing the concepts. I'm extremely appreciative to have these guys involved.

The wireframes below is just a preview of some of the thought that has been put into re-engineering the User Experience for the SXSW 2012 app. Only two user journeys have been explored:

1. Schedule - The entire SXSW schedule (including the film, interactive and music festivals as well as the tradeshows)
2. My SXSW - The user's customised shortlist of events they wish to attend

Significant thought has also been put into Places, Social and the Tradeshow, but that's for another discussion.

I'd love to hear your feedback and see what you think!

1. Splashscreen

2. Dashboard Navigation

Note: The SXSW 2011 app did not feature dashboard navigation.

3. Schedule Interface

4. My SXSW Interface

5. My SXSW - Talk Info

This screen is accessed when a user drills down into a specific talk from their My SXSW screen, which contains their customised/favourited list of talks.

So what'd you think? 

Freshly Baked @Foursquare Ideas - Check into transporation, not just locations

Currently, Foursquare allows users to check into one location at a time. A local cafe. A new kitsch bar. A grubby metro station.

But what if Foursquare supported check ins to more than just locations? What if Foursquare supported check ins to major modes of transportation. A flight. A cruise liner. An interstate train.

What I find interesting about this idea is that it opens up a new dimension to Foursquare. No longer are you bound to just one location at any one point in time. By checking into a major mode of transportation, you're now interacting with an object that ties multiple locations together  - your origin and your destination. I think this could have major business implications as it could enable Foursquare to widen its service offerings in the future to both the consumer and business markets.

Let's look at checking into major modes of transportation as an example. Users are already doing this - they're just treating it as another legitimate location. How many times have you seen some flight/cruise/train code, an AA33, a QF108 or an OA815 (only if you're in LAX), already entered in Foursquare? Whilst confusing at times (surely checking into the airport tarmac isn't legitimate) it does confirm one thing: people are already familiar with checking into modes of transportation. From a UX perspective, it's somewhat reassuring to know that this behaviour is already part of a user's mental model of Foursquare.

My own personal user journey for this use case would look like:

1. I'm at JFK and I check into flight AA33.
2. Foursquare confirms this is the JFK -> LAX bound flight.
3. I am able to read up on LAX and am presented with useful data about my flight (e.g. whether it is on time or delayed, departure gate, etc.) and my destination location: LAX. In this case, I would expect to be presented with data such as the location of airline lounges, transfer gates, customs offices, rest rooms. I may even be presented with the different forms of local transport (train/bus/cab) and estimated rates (e.g. the cab fare from LAX to Downtown LA). And all this occurs in addition to the tips functionality that exists on the current Foursquare platform. Imagine how powerful and relevant this would be for travellers!
4. LAX is 'cached' on a quick-access list, so when I land and get mobile coverage, it immediately pops up for a rapid fire check in.

In this simple example, it is clear that the user group that is benefitting is the consumer group. They're benefitting from the useful and relevant data...and this occurs because we've shifted focus from a single location to an object (a mode of transportation) that ties multiple locations together simultaneously.

But what about the business group? I can feel people itching to know how this service could be monetised. I think this service is perfectly aligned with the travel guide industry - and if the recent Guardian article on Foursquare is anything to go by, it appears that Foursquare is perfectly lined up to enter this particular industry. But rather than competing against the travel guide giants, I'd recommend partnering with them (at least for the short term). Lonely Planet (@lonelyplanet) is infamous for it's PDF guides of cities, and it's pre-planned sight-seeing routes. Foursquare could be leveraged as a distribution network for Lonely Planet.

Just imagine this: Foursquare confirms that flight AA33 is bound for Los Angeles. You've never been to LA before, so Foursquare offers a $10 mobile guide to Los Angeles with all of the travel hot spots laid out on the map within the native Foursquare mobile app. Pretty neat huh? Foursquare could charge a retainer fee for being the distribution network and a percentage cut of every transaction made. Obviously, issues will have to be ironed out with pushing travel guides only when its relevant (i.e. only when users are travelling for holidays). This is just one minor example of a new revenue stream for Foursquare just by focusing not on a single location, but an object (a mode of transportation) that links multiple locations together simultaneously.

I've calculated that since the start of 2010, I've averaged at least one flight a week with business. I also know I've  personally added my weekly flights as locations on Foursquare (for both points and mayorship purposes). Crowley (@dens), please don't hate. I've seen other commuters check into my faux-locations too! But if randoms and I are checking into these faux locations...doesn't this mean something?

So readers, I'd be keen on hearing your thoughts. Do you think this functionality would be useful? What other travel-related functionality would you like to see on Foursquare? Drop me a comment below with your opinions!

Mobile Monday Sydney Roundup

Here's a quick brain dump of the insights from tonight's Mobile Monday Sydney. We had 3 fantastic speakers who provided unique perspectives on the mobile landscape. If you know someone who couldn't make it, spread the post!

The session opened with Ken Wong, head of User Experience at Fairfax Digital, who gave a top quality presentation on "Lessons I learnt from building i-stuff". Following him was Manuela Davidson, mobile producer at ABC, who provided an insight into the mobile initiatives at ABC. Closing off the session were Virgin Blue's Warren Hamilton, a product specialist, and Kirsten Romanin, a marketing specialist, who touched on the mobile travel landscape and the latest Virgin Blue Mobile App, called 'Check Mate'.

Favourite Quotes

The difference between a good and a great app is the lessons you learn from your customers. (Ken Wong)

Mobile is not a platform. It is a lifestyle. (Manuela Davidson)

Ken Wong (Fairfax Digital)

Ken's presentation approached the mobile space from a strong user experience perspective. He provided us with 3 critical lessons:

1. Let your users surprise you

• Listen to your users. Learn how & where they use your apps.
• The difference between a good and a great app is the lessons you learn from your customers.
• Where can you start learning about your customers? Observe them 'in the wild'. Contact your customer service team. Mine your web analytics.

2. Start thinking about the 'bounce'

• Traditional UX is state based - you move from one state to another
• Mobile UX is different. You need to look between the states.
• To improve mobile UX, consider transitions such as fading, zooming in/out. These interactions may seem so simple, but they completely change a user's interaction with the interface (and thus the system).

3. Laziness is good

Ken provides 2 approaches to 'laziness':

• A lazy practitioner is a good thing
  • Identify high traffic features (e.g. login or search). Design & build this feature properly the first time and then copy & deploy it across multiple services. I call this: high quality, modular design.
  • Advantages: Better use of time elsewhere & consistent design and experience across differing mobile offerings.
• Consider the 'lazy' UX
  • Primarily focused on the iPad's interaction model - most users use the iPad when they are 'lazily' lounged in a couch.
  • Key takeaway: consider the contextual environment when designing the user interface. You want the user interface, and thus the user experience, to harmonise with the user's environment.

Manuela Davidson (ABC)

Manuela provided a deep insight into the motivations, initiatives and statistics around mobile at ABC.

Some of the interesting points she raised included:

• ABC's motivation for moving into the mobile space: "[in the future] mobile will fall easily within a public broadcaster's obligation".
• Mobile is not a platform. It is a lifestyle.
• Mobile traffic to the m.abc.net.au website: Apple (45%), RIM (28%), Nokia (7%), Android (4%), Other (16%).
• As we move towards the tablet-era, the digital strategy to cater for these mobile devices will depend on content that is more interesting and inviting, as well as increased video consumption.

Future opportunities, challenges and considerations Manuela identified:

• Users (customers ?) having a larger appetite for audio and video content
• Increased customer expectation on video quality (HD, BluRay, 3DTV)
• Data usage challenges the distribution chains (servers, bandwidth)
• Rich media considerations (consume live/on-demand/offline content)
• Relevant-based apps (location-based, social awareness, personalisation)
• Future delivery considerations (telco bandwidth- 4G network, rise of User Generated Content (UGC), increased quality of data, increased uptake of social media, gaming)

Warren Hamilton & Kirsten Romanin (Virgin Blue)

Warren & Kirsten's presentation walked us through the thought process involved in producing the Check Mate Mobile App from competitior analysis to multi-channel marketing.

Warren provided us with some interesting mobile travel related statistics and facts:

• 51% of AsiaPac travellers use mobile devices to check in or perform other activities (change seating, check up on flight cancellation)
• BA.com has ~ 20,000 mobile users per day
• Lufthansa issues ~120,000 mobile boarding passes per month; ~ 2 million mobile page views per month
• Virgin Blue's mobile offering extends to their ~ 2 million Velocity Members
• Biggest threat to airlines are the concierge services in the travel industry, as they contain more customer data (providing improved granular customer market isolation and analysis capability)
• Co-branding with these concierge services is strategically strengthening - Virgin Blue has co-branded with WorldMate in the USA.
• Air NZ is considered as the most advanced carrier to utilise mobile technology in the local AsiaPac market

Kirsten revealed their marketing strategy behind their Check Mate Mobile App launch:

• Primary target market: 35-50yr old business men
• 4 pillars of the marketing strategy: awareness, education, promotion, partnership
• Given the target market, Virgin Blue's strategy was to align with a corporate brand and leverage the strength of that brand in the corporate market. This brand was BlackBerry (ever wondered why there isn't a Virgin Blue iPhone app?)
• Marketing techniques learnt in the alcohol industry were translated to the mobile airline space - the technique of 'sampling' was used to develop a wallet-size pamphlet which could be easily distributed. It basically provided potential customers with a sample of the Check Mate mobile offering. More importantly, it served to initiate one-on-one conversations with potential customers.
• Multi-channel marketing strategy spanned across: television, print, internet, kiosks in the waiting lounges. Overall, this ensured that constant customer engagement with the concept of the mobile app (prior to launch) and with the actual app (post launch).

Before I wrap up, I owe  a HT to @hannahlaw for her tweet about tonight's event. If she hadn't tweeted it, I wouldn't have been able to share these insights. So Hannah, a big thankyou!

Once again, if you know someone who couldn't make the event, spread the post. There's some fantastic content that's not to be missed!

Qantas Boarding Pass: Redesigned

Over the past 7 weeks, I've spent more time in the airport than in my own bed at home. What this has resulted in, is me becoming a faux-quasi-David Attenborough of the airport landscape -  I've accrued many hours just observing how passengers (including myself) interact with boarding passes. In User Experience (UX) land, we call this engaging in 'experience research' or 'ethnographic research', i.e. watching human behaviour towards a product/service to gain insight on how users interact with it (and how they don't interact with it). My finding? Current-day boarding passes aren't designed to be passenger friendly.

In this post, I will only be focusing on Qantas' boarding passes (I'm loyal to this carrier). But whilst I'm isolating Qantas, I can guarantee that it's a universal design problem across all carriers - just have a look at Boarding Pass/Fail by @tyler_thompson. I was introduced to this site by @jwswj after I had completed my re-design (see footnote).

Current Design

Redesign

My thoughts on the Current Design vs. Redesign

The placement of information in the current design lacks a natural logical flow

Many of the passengers I observed struggled to easily find their departure gate and boarding time from their boarding passes. Older-aged passengers called on the assistance of their travel companion, whilst younger-aged passengers took on average, roughly about 3 seconds to achieve this task.

I believe that this struggle is due to the lack of a natural logical flow of information in the boarding pass design. Adopting a Western-world reading pattern (from left to right) for the boarding pass, the string of information on the boarding pass can be read as:

The Carrier is Qantas Airways for Flight QF123 leaving on 15 June for me, the passenger,Jordan Sim. I will be seated in 31F in economy class travelling from Sydney to Melbourne and this flight has a boarding time of 7:40am with a sequence number of A123. I have to board at Gate 5 and my service information is Frequent Flyer Bronze QF1234567.

This string lacks a logical flow and the pieces of information do not harmoniously sit together to be easily memorised. Information accessibility is poor. Now compare this to the redesigned boarding pass:

I, Jordan Sim, the passenger, am travelling from Sydney to Melbourne on Flight QF433 on 06 June. I will board at Gate 5 at the time of 3:10pm. When I'm on the plane, my seat number is 39F.

Reading the redesigned boarding pass is easy - the pieces of information harmoniously work together to form a comprehensive string. In other words, the information is easily accessible.

The key difference is that the boarding pass has been designed through the eyes of the passenger (i.e. the customer). The information on the boarding pass directly mirrors the physical boarding process. It begins with the passenger travelling between 2 locations via a plane. The plane departs on a certain date from a certain gate at a certain time. Once the passenger has passed the gate, they  have a seat on the plane.As such, it can be seen that customer interactions have been considered in the design of the new boarding pass. This makes it passenger friendly.

</rant>

What are your thoughts/opinions?

Add your comments below :)

FOOTNOTE: Whilst I am glad to know that I share a similar opinion as the UX experts towards boarding pass designs, I am simultaneously flat as my designs look similar to Tyler's even though they were designed completely independent of his.