The document describes an iterative design workshop for designing mobile applications. Participants were split into teams and tasked with designing an app for the persona of a busy civil engineer over two iterations. They had to prototype, test, and demo their designs within time constraints. The goal was for their app to help the persona enjoy the outdoors while keeping in touch with family and friends. The workshop aimed to explore constraints of designing for mobile such as varying screen sizes and connectivity through an experiential process of iteration and adaptation.

1. mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain
Exploring constraints in iterative design ^
Agile2009, 27th August 2009

2. Identify yourselves!
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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3. Participative
Iterative design
May cause dizziness
Fast paced
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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4. Change gets faster
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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5. Mobile means variety
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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6. Why take a different approach?
To design for devices before they exist,
and to accommodate variances in form factor...
...for an intimate medium, hard to theorise about, and
caught between the worlds of telco and internet.
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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7. screen size processor slow input connectivity
Mobile offers some unique constraints
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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8. Your mission
Iteration 1:
1. Design a product, for one persona & one device (15 minutes)
2. Usability test our prototypes (5 minutes)
3. Demo to next-door team (10 minutes)
Iteration 2:
1. Revisit our designs (15 minutes)
2. Demo to next-door team (10 minutes)
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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9. Target persona
Jeremy, 34 y.o. civil engineer
Married, 2 children
Technically aware but utilitarian mobilist
Extremely busy, manages a 10-man engineering team
Works from small office, on-site, frequent traveller
Dyslexic, uses email a little but prefers face-to-face
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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10. Your goal
“As a hardy mountaineer, I want my phone to help
me enjoy the great outdoors and share the experience
with my friends and family”
How to
how to keep up privacy?
Visualise? to date?
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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11. mobile
Go!
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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12. mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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13. User testing
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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14. Demo & questions
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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15. Some constraints

16. Rinse & repeat
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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17. What have you learned?
How did changes affect your design?
Ask each group to
write up what they’ve
learned on a giant
What were the difficulties? present.
post-it, then
What surprised you?
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
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18. Conclusions from last time we ran this
- Working on a small screen lends focus
- Time is always short (even when it is)
- Cross-platform consistency is tough
- ...but changes between platforms weren’t so great
mobile
Many paths to the top of the mountain Thursday 27th August 2009
^

19. Thank you.
tomhume.org
www.futureplatforms.com
Tom.Hume@futureplatforms.com