By Eric Feinberg
I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) about an intriguing view of Mobile vs. Mobility.
The concepts that the author, David Armano, describes are real and, in some cases, well-articulated. But I’m simply not down with re-framing the verbiage to be “mobility” or “mobile.” Call it “mobilefunkytown” for all I care. In the long run, it’s not about what you call it, it’s about the concepts.
The most important thing to consider is the customer/consumer – not the device. The concept of measuring and improving the user experience to better serve the ever-changing consumer is what’s important to me and to everyone at ForeSee. And I think that is the point– a mindset before toolset mentality – Armano is really trying to deliver. However, I am not interested in the word “mobility.” I think it is too close to mobile and creates vagueness when clarity is required.
What we (what you) need to look at is the “mobile experience” that consists of the device (with its screen size, operating system, swipes, etc.), the context (how, when, where and why customers use the device), along with the expectations, needs and wants the customer shows up with when visiting your “mobile home.”
Our goal at ForSee is to measure mobile where it stands in the world: either as an influencer of things to come, an influence based on prior set expectations, or as a standalone content consumption or shopping experience.
With a precise, accurate, reliable, valid, sensitive, predictive, and actionable measurement technology, companies can connect the dots between the type of device, the context in which it is used, and the influence it has on other channels. This way you get a complete picture of the entire mobile experience. And with that, you’ll discover new and different consumer patterns and behaviors that you may never have known otherwise.
What do you think?
For me, mobile devices and mobile apps and optimized websites provide me with the freedom to do all of the things that I love about a company’s website, wherever and whenever I please. And that makes me a happy customer. Companies that don’t provide me with the ability to perform those tasks (weather, news, blogs, or browsing e-commerce sites) are no longer companies that I frequent. My time is precious, I want those things now, not later, and not with slow loading and difficult to view webpages. I do many of these things while waking up in the morning, or sitting in a doctor’s waiting room with 5 minutes to spare before my appointment, and whoever can get me the information I need is going to get my return visit.
So call it whatever you want. In my mind I see it as mobility until I can come up with a better description.