Mobile devices are rapidly displacing the desktop as the primary means to access the web and interact with the world at large. According to a May 2012 mobile research report from Google, 80% of people don’t leave home without their mobile device.
This becomes all the more important for travel-focused companies. Consumers are using their smartphones and tablets to research and book travel services at a vastly increasing pace.
Background
According to research Tealeaf just conducted, 15% of consumers are already using the mobile web for travel services, and another 13% are using mobile applications downloaded from one of the top app stores. A recent Harris Interactive survey revealed that 85% of consumers who had conducted a mobile transaction in the last year expected the experience on their mobile devices to be better than using a laptop or desktop computer.
There has never been a more crucial time to invest in mobile channels, as the mobile experience has now become far more critical than the desktop experience. This provides an opportunity to create real competitive advantage by investing in the mobile experience and delighting your travel customers.
UEX/Design
Designing for mobile is hard. Mobile consumers are task-oriented. They want the essentials of whatever they are looking for and they want them quickly. The Harris Interactive survey also revealed that 63% of all online adults would be less likely to buy from a company via other purchase channels if they experienced a problem conducting a mobile transaction.
A simple, clean, easy-to-use site or app is required. But making something simple is hard. Some common mistakes in designing the mobile experience are:
- Visual overload
- Making the user fill out long forms
- Not accounting for size/width of the finger
- Not accounting for device width
- Heavy or too many image files
- Opaque design – user can’t figure out what is happening
- Not setting a home screen icon
- Making pages non-zoomable
The mobile experience is a very personal experience and when consumers are struggling with it, they are quick to talk about it. And the good news is that when you do get it right, consumers are still quick to talk about it, and can really raise the goodwill around your brand. Maintaining a simple, consistent, easy-to-use experience in your mobile websites and applications will go a long way toward establishing a successful presence in the mobile channel.
Author: Anoop .N
Delivery Manager,Teknokraaft.