Designing Multi-Device Experiences: An Ecosystem Approach to User Experiences across Devices

369 Pages·2014·11.86 MB·English

by  Michal Levin

Designing Multi-Device
Experiences
An Ecosystem Approach to User Experiences Across
Devices
Michal Levin
Beijing • Cambridge • Farnham • Köln • Sebastopol • Tokyo
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Preface
MultiDevice Design Today
We have entered a multidevice world.
Until recently, design models for online products considered only the computer
or mobile phone as a standalone platform. Now, in our increasingly connected
world, people own multiple devices—PCs, smartphones, tablets, TVs, and more
—and are already using them together, switching between them, in order to
accomplish a single goal. These devices relate to one another in a variety of
ways, and together can form powerful ensembles that can better assist people in
achieving their goals.
Still, most products today offer the same experience across all devices, often
using their existing desktop experience as the model and making minor
adjustments for device-specific size and form factor. That is an acceptable
stopgap measure, but it’s not necessarily best suited to user needs and goals. This
kind of design approach, which I call consistent design, provides users with
access to all the content from any device at any time, but unfortunately it ignores
a key factor in users’ behaviors, needs, and experiences: context.
People don’t necessarily need everything, all the time, on all devices. Different
devices are often used in different ways, in different contexts, as part of different
activities. Thus, the greater benefit would come from people getting the right
thing, at the right time, on the best (available) device.
Adopting such a context-driven perspective means we need to start looking at
multiple devices as part of a bigger ecosystem, rather than treating them as silos.
In this ecosystem, devices can relate to one another in a variety of ways (for
example, complementing or continuing one another’s roles), and together—as a
holistic structure—better equip people to complete their tasks.
Why I Wrote This Book
This book is intended to help you make decisions about your design projects—
not just how to create a product for the smartphone or a product version for the
tablet, but rather how to deliver a product ecosystem that serves the end-to-end
user journey across devices that are already available in our connected world.
This book will hopefully be a first step in paving the way toward better
multidevice experiences that go beyond duplicating existing models to embrace
instead the full potential of an ecosystem.
In The Medium Is the Message, Marshall McLuhan asserted:
When faced with a totally new situation, we tend always to attach ourselves to the objects, to the
flavor of the most recent past. We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march
backwards into the future.[1]
I see a similar pathway in the way we approach multidevice experiences today.
It is very difficult, impossible even, for any of us to fully understand the extent
to which this new multidevice world will reshape the way we experience, work
with, and interact with the environment and with one another. However, we can
start working toward that by detaching ourselves from the familiar comfort zone,
and adopting new perspectives that take full advantage of the new opportunities
presented by the growing set of connected devices in front of us.
In this book, I’d like to introduce a new ecosystem framework for designing
multidevice experiences—one that focuses on context. At the root of this
framework is the realization that along with different devices, people’s needs,
behaviors, usage patterns, and settings also change en route to their goals.
This framework is based on three key approaches for addressing the emerging
relationships between different devices: consistent, continuous, and
complementary.
These approaches provide the building blocks for designing multidevice
experiences, establishing a broader product narrative that puts people—rather
than technology—in the center.
Who Should Read This Book
This book provides a roadmap for how to think about multidevice experience
design. If you’re involved—or planning to get involved—in product design and
development, this book is for you. Whether you are an engineer, a product
manager, a user experience (UX) practitioner, a grad student, or an entrepreneur,
this book is for you. Truly, collaboration among these roles is instrumental to
creating the best product experiences.
Before we think about delivering a product to a specific device, we need to
consider the broader multidevice strategy. If you are a product manager, you are
responsible for the product strategy, roadmap, and feature prioritization. I hope
this book helps you consider how to prioritize building a multidevice experience
—from stationary to mobile—for your product vision.
One of the biggest challenges we face today in creating ecosystem experiences is
the many technological hurdles that prevent us from adopting a big-picture view.
If you are an engineer, I hope this book inspires you to explore solutions that can
overcome these hurdles. The multidevice world needs technological muscle
power to create these ecosystem experiences.
At the end of the day, it’s all about the people, and we need to find a way to help
devices better serve the needs of our users. If you are a UX designer, your role is
to create the magic that combines the product technology and features into a
seamless, fluid experience that delights people. This emerging environment is an
opportunity for you to set the path for the future. You are the person who will
teach and encourage people to find meaning within all these devices and
technologies.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of an
ecosystem and progresses into design approaches that can be used to create a
rich, successful product ecosystem. Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 provide a
walkthrough of the 3Cs framework—consistent, continuous, and complementary
—and explore those approaches across multiple products, physical
environments, and platforms. The book ends with a discussion of how to
measure ecosystem success and overcome the challenges we currently face in
this space (Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8). Here’s a closer look at
what you’ll find in this book:
Chapter 1
This chapter presents the main set of events and conditions leading to the
emergence of the multidevice world. It defines the concept of ecosystem—
borrowed from our natural world—and applies it to our digital lives today,
where we are surrounded by numerous connected devices. Following this, I
introduce the three key design approaches for addressing multidevice design:
consistent, continuous, and complementary.
Chapter 2
This chapter introduces and explains the consistent design approach, in
which the basic experience is replicated across the different devices, porting
the same content and core features in a like manner. We then explore this
approach with three products—Google Search, Trulia, and Hulu Plus—and
cover ways you can handle the plethora of devices and platforms out there.
Chapter 3
This chapter focuses on the continuous approach, where the user experience
shifts between devices; one device picks up where the other leaves off.
Products like Apple AirPlay, the Amazon Kindle, Allrecipes, Eventbrite,
POP, and Pocket show how multiple devices can be used to support
continuation of both a single activity and a sequence of activities composing
a broader user goal.
Chapter 4
This chapter dives into the third design approach—complementary—
analyzing how it can offer a richer experience when multiple devices interact
as an ensemble. We’ll explore different types of relationships between
devices through a variety of products, from collaborative game play to media
to entertainment, accompanied by a case study on building a second-screen
experience.
Chapter 5
Following the basic exploration of each separate approach in the 3Cs
framework, this chapter discusses how and why many designs integrate
several approaches across devices. It presents the key questions to ask when
you are approaching ecosystem design and demonstrates the benefits and
important takeaways of some of the product examples used in previous
chapters, as well as new products.
Chapter 6
This chapter takes ecosystem experiences into a broader world of devices
and appliances that go beyond the four core devices of smartphones, tablets,
PCs, and TVs. Concepts like the Internet of Things and ubiquitous
computing are discussed, demonstrating how—even in more complex
ecosystems—the 3Cs still serve as an instrumental framework to multidevice
design. Discussions of the Quantified Self movement, QR codes, and a case
study on building an Internet of Things platform provide additional design
insights about the connected world we’re headed toward.
Chapter 7
This chapter focuses on product analysis as a means to learn user behaviors
and engagement patterns, as well as an important way to measure ecosystem
success. It introduces a multidevice analytics approach and discusses some
new concepts designed to address multidevice measurement challenges. Case
studies on multidevice measurement using Google Analytics and paving the
ecosystem way with A/B testing complement the discussion with hands-on
guidance.
Chapter 8
This chapter discusses the ecosystem challenges we’re facing today both as
consumers and as product developers. On the consumer side, there are
hurdles around setting up the ecosystem, getting it going, and dealing with
app overload. From the product development perspective, the ecosystem
approach presents challenges in terms of organizational structure, walled
gardens, and time (and resources) to market. This chapter explores possible
solutions to address these challenges and prepare ourselves for a world
where everything—people, information, and things—will be more connected
than ever before.
Online Resources
Over time, I have found a few websites particularly useful when contemplating
multidevice design and the ecosystem of devices. Some of the ones I like most
include:
Scott Jenson, Exploring the World Beyond Mobile (http://jenson.org/)
LukeW, Ideation + Design (http://www.lukew.com/)
Punchcut Perspectives (http://punchcut.com/perspectives)
Cisco.com, Internet of Everything—Connecting the Unconnected
(http://www.cisco.com/web/tomorrow-starts-here/index.html)
Our Mobile Planet (http://bit.ly/18WlzXJ)
Conventions Used in This Book
This book contains a set of perspectives, aiming to equip you with a thought
framework that can guide you as you approach multidevice experience design,
along with various practical, hands-on design principles that can already be
applied in your day-to-day work.
As you progress through the book, you will find case studies, first-person stories,
spotlight discussions, and analysis questions woven through the chapters. All
these components work together to provide a comprehensive picture of the
multidevice space.
NOTE
Indicates a tip, suggestion, or general note relating to the nearby text.
QUESTION TO THE READER
Contains a question relevant to the discussion at hand.
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