The Effects of Mobile Technology on Information Access
Because of this, businesses are forced to reevaluate their online presence. Many companies consult a web designers to build a website that is convenient and easy to use on a mobile device. People will abandon a site if it takes too long to load or is not convenient to use.
From a Fixed Location to On-The-Go
Before the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices, people relied on a computer that had a fixed location. People planned out their searches to accommodate when they had access to a computer.
Mobile devices changed this. People can lookup facts and compare prices while they are out. People can engage in activities that previously required them to sit down to use a computer, like looking up directions and translations, while they are out and about.
Mobile Search
The mobile revolution changed the frequency and nature of what and how we search. We search more often, especially in short, rapid bursts. We look for quick answers to specific questions. The rise of local search (“Open Now” and “Near Me” searches) and “how to” and “tutorial” searches, illustrate the shift in how we formulate questions.
Search and answer technology are rapidly evolving, with virtual assistants becoming more adept at providing spoken answers to questions, which reinforces our reliance on informal, conversational language to make requests. This has implications for website content and copy. Answering questions and providing direct, clear, and concise content is critical.
News and Media in the Palm of Our Hand
Mobile technology has drastically altered how news and media is consumed. Instead of waiting for the newspaper to be delivered or the evening news to be broadcast, the audience is active and engaged with news as it breaks.
This creates a challenge. The instantaneity of the news cycle brings information overload. The break-neck pace of news and media consumption, combined with the omnipresence of video and image-based content, often leads to an emphasis on skimming over comprehensive reading. It is imperative to develop the ability to evaluate and assess media critically in the digital age.
Social Media as an Information Channel
Social media platforms dominate our phones and offer another way to consume and interact with information. From product recommendations to event sharing, social media integrates them all. In fact, many young people perform web searches on social media first.
As an organization, you need to adjust the way you communicate information based on how young people engage social media. Graphics, gifs, and signals that complement and extend your message help reinforces your brand.
Education and Learning Without Boundaries
Learning, particularly formal education, has typically been tied to a physical location (schools, classrooms, etc.), but mobile learning and education breaks this geographic tie. Students, particularly young people, are increasingly consuming educational content via mobile devices and the internet; information is freely available and personalized to the students’ interests, schedules, and preferences. Educators must adapt and ensure their content is easily consumable on mobile devices, given where their learners are.
Mobile access has accelerated how quickly people can make buying decisions. People often comparison shop, read reviews, and look up information on products in stores. In fact, the decision to buy can happen right there on the buyer’s phone.
This means the distance from being curious about a product to actually buying it can be very very short. Mobile optimizations for product information, and easy-to-use, frictionless checkout processes can mean the difference between keeping and losing a customer.
Mobile Applications, Notifications, and User Experience
Mobile applications use user experience to provide information in a personalized manner. Users are provided updates based on their location, their habits, and their preferences.
Notifications make information proactive. Rather than having to go looking for information, users are provided information that is relevant to them. Convenience is powerful, but there has to be a balance. User experience design determines how users are provided with the information they want and when they want it. Design mitigates distraction.
Faster Mobile Networks and More Information
More and more, improved mobile networks allow users to access information in higher and better quality. Live, interactive, and real-time information and tools are becoming available.
What was once restricted to a desktop or a laptop is now available anywhere. Users are wanting and expecting high quality information and tools, whether they are on a mobile or a desktop.
Mobility and Inclusion
Mobile technology has allowed information to be more inclusive. Features that support a variety of user abilities and preferences allow for more and different ways of accessing content.
Mobile-friendly, accessible content is not a luxury, but a necessity for many, and supports inclusiveness and accessibility for many users.
Changing Patterns of Access
New forms of access present varying challenges. For some, constant connectivity leads to information overload, which can result in elevated stress and a shorter attention span. The ease with which information can now be shared has allowed the distribution of intentional false information (i.e. “fake news”) to become widespread. Locations can be tracked, behavior and preferences logged, and devices monitored through various means, leaving users increasingly vulnerable to privacy concerns.
These concerns are also reflected in the world of finance, where users need to remain conscious of the threats of phishing, as well as the dangers presented by unprotected Wi-Fi. Digital literacy is as important as the ability to use technology.
What This All Means for Businesses
The shift to mobile devices presents new challenges for website design and development. Mobile websites must be as easy to access as desktop sites. Mobile pages must have readable text without zoom. Buttons must be large enough to be easily tapped by fingers. Users must be able to find what they need in only a few taps.
User experience must be optimized for the various devices that users may employ. Consistent functionality regardless of the device a user employs is essential, as is attention to detail such as clear headings, short paragraphs, appropriate use of white space, and other elements that support mobile readers. Ensuring that the experience on small screens is trustworthy means that the experience must be frequently tested and adjusted.
Looking Ahead
Change in mobile technology means that the way we access information will continually evolve. Wearable computers that integrate with glasses and other technology may enhance the ways in which we access the information that we need. Artificial intelligence that improves assistive technology is already personalizing and integrating information into everyday activities in various ways.
Final Thoughts
Information is always within reach, and it will continually be integrated in more ways into our everyday activities. Mobile technology has revolutionized the ways in which we search for, learn, purchase, and gain access to news and information and the ways in which we communicate and interact with each other. The benefits are more everyday opportunities for people, but organizations and businesses must recognize that in order to remain competitive they must provide the same everyday opportunities for people.