Time and time again I see one thing being overlooked in mobile.
Can you venture a guess?
Would you believe that organizations actually forget about the mobile user and the mobile experience somewhere between concept and implementation? This is not done on purpose or through some evil plot from the tethered zombies. It just happens.
Ideally a mobile project stems from a carefully thought out mobile strategy which began (hopefully) by asking relevant questions that revolved around the mobile user. Your mobile strategy is an extension of you, your brand, your products, your image, your reputation and even your people. It reflects you. It represents you. It is you.
But a lot can happen from mobile strategy… to mobile project… to mobile implementation (or mobile strategy execution).
Many times the mobile user is forgotten during those deep dive architecture sessions. As we talk about business requirements and time to market we forget to stop and ask the question: how is this decision going to impact the person we are doing this for? Does this impact the mobile experience? If the answer no… then great! Move on. If the answer is yes… then let’s at least talk about it.
It is almost as if someone should be present at every meeting representing your customer. Your mobile customer. You are doing this for him or her… why not have them integrated into your process? Of course I am not talking about just anyone off the street, but someone who will stubbornly represent the customer for whom you are doing this. Someone with a mobile angle and deep mobile user experience who will ask those sometimes forgotten questions. Let’s call these people (for lack of a better term) – mobile customer advocates.
If you are a small and nimble mobile development shop you don’t have this problem. You don’t have to read this (in fact go away). But if you are a large enterprise executing a mobile strategy make sure you don’t drop the mobile user from the project plan at any point.
But the business represents the customer you say? Yes … and no. Remember that your business units already have a full time role and are busy with their day to day tasks… plus they may be looking at that mobile application as a potential increase in revenue and are focused on that one point. Or maybe you just told them they needed mobile and they are simply complying with your wishes.
It may in fact be an easier process than you think… it may just be about asking the questions…
- how do these decisions impact our customers when mobile?
- how do these decisions impact the mobile user experience?
Next time you go into a meeting simply put on your Mobile Customer Advocate hat… and ask those questions. You may be surprised at the direction your project takes.
Longtime Internet pioneer, AOL today matured its mobile platform with a two new applications for Android handsets and an HTML5 version of the AOL Mobile website for smartphones. The new site — still found at http://m.aol.com — now supports richer content and media on handset browsers supporting HTML5. While it’s not surprising that AOL is looking to support advanced devices such as smartphones, the selection of Android over iPhone for the new software title is notable.
Speaking of Mobile Strategy…
It is an interesting choice and certainly not a bad one specifically due to the momentum of the Android platform. They can follow this with an iPhone app and not even miss a beat.
I like it because they are not following the crowd. It shows both leadership and independent thinking… Although we don’t have visibility into all the reasons why AOL chose Android over the iPhone it does put a marker on the ground and shows they are thinking things through and not bowing down to the buzz.
I like it.
A few years ago in speaking with customers their priority for development was:
- BlackBerry
- iPhone
Then it became:
- iPhone
- Android
- BlackBerry
Will it soon become…
- Android
- iPhone
- … and maybe BlackBerry?
Posted via email from Mobile Strategy
by Jose HC on July 15, 2010
in General
For many and varied reasons I have been unable to write. Some of it was time, some of it was money and some it (if you can believe this) was strategic.
Over the last few months writing on this blog took second place to many other things. Yesterday something happened that I believe will give me both the reason and the impetus to begin writing again. After a few weeks of being very close to signing with a reputable research firm as their mobile financial analyst … the door finally closed. What had been a roller coaster ride of emotions (from ‘this is the best job in the world‘ to ‘there is something not right in my gut‘) came to an end in a surprising turn of events spurred by a misunderstanding. I see an Invisible Hand who graciously spared me from something and where a veil was removed and suddenly I could see what I could not see before. It is amazing how that works!
So today I find myself 100% free to write but not about everything that you’d expect me to write about. I am currently engaged with a US Bank in executing a portion of their mobile strategy and I will stay away from talking about certain things. It is not at the level that I am accustomed to but it has been great to see the other side of the fence as I find myself deeply entrenched in IT. The good news is that since I will not be joining the research firm and I will not be writing for clients with a twist – I can now concentrate on writing on things that are of interest to me and I believe will be of much interest to you. Topics related to the engagement of the mobile financial consumer and the entrenchment of brands with such consumers. All fun stuff.
The doors are also opening up on a potential mobile health assignment… which could also be great fun. As you know I have been involved with mobile healthcare, hospital operations and healthcare IT in a big way in the past so to see opportunities opening up for me in that area is greatly encouraging.
The other reason I have been slightly unavailable is because of MSA Management Consulting; a firm I am heavily involved in and which we are building and expanding with a very strong team. A firm focused on generating measurable returns on investment of your current assets.
Expect to see much more over the next few weeks and for this place to once again turn into the hub for mobile strategy discussions.
So there you are… consider yourself updated.
I briefly interrupt my slumber to highlight an announcement from yesterday.
Over the years our attention has shifted away from the carriers/operators. We only remember them to complain about them or to comment on AT & T’s iPhone exclusivity. Shiny devices from iPhone to Nexus One to RIM’s devices have made our eyes sparkle. In some respects you may have even discounted or written off the carriers. But they are doing things behind the scenes… things that will impact the way you and I interact with our devices and with people across networks. Exciting stuff so they can finally shed the dumb pipe moniker.
If you’re a developer opportunities are already out there to be leveraged in this space. Be ahead of the curve and not behind it.
This is yesterday’s announcement as retold by TechCrunch Europe:
Aepona, the Belfast-based developer of a software engine that powers the “Network as a Service” (NaaS) business model for mobile operators, has just raised a $10M round, led by new investor BlackBerry Partners Fund, a Toronto-based global fund focused on applications, services and supporting infrastructure for mobile platforms.
Existing investors Amadeus Capital Partners, Polaris Ventures, Innovacom, Nordic Venture Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures also participated in the round.
The company provides the software engine that powers the “Network as a Service” (NaaS) business model for mobile operators allowing them to monetise assets and functionality within their networks – such as billing, location, messaging and voice communications – to open up new revenue opportunities.
Aepona, whose revenues grew 50% year-on-year from 2008 to 2009 with positive EBITDA, will use the new round to accelerate growth, and invest in additional sales and business development.
Below are portion of the Press Release from Aepona’s website:
Aepona is a market leader in the NaaS marketplace through its deployments with more than 20 Tier One mobile operators around the world, together with its pioneering work on the GSM Association’s OneAPI initiative and the launch of the Canadian OneAPI commercial service, which is at the forefront of the Mobile Cloud Computing market.
Commenting on its decision to invest in Aepona, Marc Faucher, Partner at BlackBerry Partners Fund said, “Aepona’s proposition is constructively aligned with the strategic goals of mobile operators, and the company is ideally positioned to capitalize on the major trends that are shaping the future of the mobile industry.”
Among these key trends are:
· Mobile operators looking for ways to re-assert themselves in the applications value chain to address increasing competition from web-based service providers.
· The proliferation of high-end smartphones enabling a new generation of applications and services that combine advanced device functionality with core mobile network functionality, creating significant additional value for the end-user compared with the device-only applications that are prevalent today.
· The arrival of Cloud Computing into the mobile domain meaning that application providers can now quickly and easily access mobile network capabilities across multiple operators. This reduces market fragmentation and is vital for driving mass adoption of applications on a global scale.
“Aepona’s solution directly addresses these trends, and it’s for this reason that BlackBerry Partners Funds believes the company is poised for significant growth. We look forward to working with Aepona, and providing insight and support that will help the company realise its full potential in the mobile eco-system,” continues Faucher.
“We are delighted to welcome BlackBerry Partners Fund on board as a new investor in Aepona,” said Al Snyder, CEO of Aepona. “The Fund shares our vision for the future of the mobile industry – one in which mobile operators can adopt a two-sided business model, delivering differentiated, network-enabled applications through their retail channels as well as directly monetizing their network and billing assets to open up new wholesale revenue opportunities from the Mobile Cloud. We especially look forward to leveraging the relationships that BlackBerry Partners Fund shares with the handset and application developer communities, to develop new propositions that combine the unique capabilities of the mobile device with the power of the mobile network.”
All this to say what?
Keep an eye on it… others are. If I get a chance I will try and write more about this (and if you are interested).
