Preface
Multi-Device Design Today
We have entered a multi-device world.
Until recently, design models for online products considered only the computer or mobile phone as a standalone platform. Now, in our increasingly connected world, people own multiple devices—PCs, smartphones, tablets, TVs, and more—and are already using them together, switching between them, in order to accomplish a single goal. These devices relate to one another in a variety of ways, and together can form powerful ensembles that can better assist people in achieving their goals.
Still, most products today offer the same experience across all devices, often using their existing desktop experience as the model and making minor adjustments for device-specific size and form factor. That is an acceptable stopgap measure, but it’s not necessarily best suited to user needs and goals. This kind of design approach, which I call consistent design, provides users with access to all the content from any device at any time, but unfortunately it ignores a key factor in users’ behaviors, needs, and experiences: context.
People don’t necessarily need everything, all the time, on all devices. Different devices are often used in different ways, in different contexts, as part of different activities. Thus, the greater benefit would come from people getting the right thing, at the right time, on the best (available) device.
Adopting such a context-driven perspective means we need to start looking at multiple devices as part of a bigger ecosystem, rather than treating them as silos. In this ecosystem, devices can relate to one another in a variety of ways (for example, complementing or continuing one another’s roles), and together—as a holistic structure—better equip people to complete their tasks.
Why I Wrote This Book
This book is intended to help you make decisions about your design projects—not just how to create a product for the smartphone or a product version for the tablet, but rather how to deliver a product ecosystem that serves the end-to-end user journey across devices that are already available in our connected world. This book will hopefully be a first step in paving the way toward better multi-device experiences that go beyond duplicating existing models to embrace instead the full potential of an ecosystem.
In The Medium Is the Message, Marshall McLuhan asserted:
When faced with a totally new situation, we tend always to attach ourselves to the objects, to the flavor of the most recent past. We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future.[1]
I see a similar pathway in the way we approach multi-device experiences today.
It is very difficult, impossible even, for any of us to fully understand the extent to which this new multi-device world will reshape the way we experience, work with, and interact with the environment and with one another. However, we can start working toward that by detaching ourselves from the familiar comfort zone, and adopting new perspectives that take full advantage of the new opportunities presented by the growing set of connected devices in front of us.
In this book, I’d like to introduce a new ecosystem framework for designing multi-device experiences—one that focuses on context. At the root of this framework is the realization that along with different devices, people’s needs, behaviors, usage patterns, and settings also change en route to their goals.
This framework is based on three key approaches for addressing the emerging relationships between different devices: consistent, continuous, and complementary.
These approaches provide the building blocks for designing multi-device experiences, establishing a broader product narrative that puts people—rather than technology—in the center.
Who Should Read This Book
This book provides a roadmap for how to think about multi-device experience design. If you’re involved—or planning to get involved—in product design and development, this book is for you. Whether you are an engineer, a product manager, a user experience (UX) practitioner, a grad student, or an entrepreneur, this book is for you. Truly, collaboration among these roles is instrumental to creating the best product experiences.
Before we think about delivering a product to a specific device, we need to consider the broader multi-device strategy. If you are a product manager, you are responsible for the product strategy, roadmap, and feature prioritization. I hope this book helps you consider how to prioritize building a multi-device experience—from stationary to mobile—for your product vision.
One of the biggest challenges we face today in creating ecosystem experiences is the many technological hurdles that prevent us from adopting a big-picture view. If you are an engineer, I hope this book inspires you to explore solutions that can overcome these hurdles. The multi-device world needs technological muscle power to create these ecosystem experiences.
At the end of the day, it’s all about the people, and we need to find a way to help devices better serve the needs of our users. If you are a UX designer, your role is to create the magic that combines the product technology and features into a seamless, fluid experience that delights people. This emerging environment is an opportunity for you to set the path for the future. You are the person who will teach and encourage people to find meaning within all these devices and technologies.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of an ecosystem and progresses into design approaches that can be used to create a rich, successful product ecosystem. Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 provide a walkthrough of the 3Cs framework—consistent, continuous, and complementary—and explore those approaches across multiple products, physical environments, and platforms. The book ends with a discussion of how to measure ecosystem success and overcome the challenges we currently face in this space (Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8). Here’s a closer look at what you’ll find in this book:
- Chapter 1
This chapter presents the main set of events and conditions leading to the emergence of the multi-device world. It defines the concept of ecosystem—borrowed from our natural world—and applies it to our digital lives today, where we are surrounded by numerous connected devices. Following this, I introduce the three key design approaches for addressing multi-device design: consistent, continuous, and complementary.
- Chapter 2
This chapter introduces and explains the consistent design approach, in which the basic experience is replicated across the different devices, porting the same content and core features in a like manner. We then explore this approach with three products—Google Search, Trulia, and Hulu Plus—and cover ways you can handle the plethora of devices and platforms out there.
- Chapter 3
This chapter focuses on the continuous approach, where the user experience shifts between devices; one device picks up where the other leaves off. Products like Apple AirPlay, the Amazon Kindle, Allrecipes, Eventbrite, POP, and Pocket show how multiple devices can be used to support continuation of both a single activity and a sequence of activities composing a broader user goal.
- Chapter 4
This chapter dives into the third design approach—complementary—analyzing how it can offer a richer experience when multiple devices interact as an ensemble. We’ll explore different types of relationships between devices through a variety of products, from collaborative game play to media to entertainment, accompanied by a case study on building a second-screen experience.
- Chapter 5
Following the basic exploration of each separate approach in the 3Cs framework, this chapter discusses how and why many designs integrate several approaches across devices. It presents the key questions to ask when you are approaching ecosystem design and demonstrates the benefits and important takeaways of some of the product examples used in previous chapters, as well as new products.
- Chapter 6
This chapter takes ecosystem experiences into a broader world of devices and appliances that go beyond the four core devices of smartphones, tablets, PCs, and TVs. Concepts like the Internet of Things and ubiquitous computing are discussed, demonstrating how—even in more complex ecosystems—the 3Cs still serve as an instrumental framework to multi-device design. Discussions of the Quantified Self movement, QR codes, and a case study on building an Internet of Things platform provide additional design insights about the connected world we’re headed toward.
- Chapter 7
This chapter focuses on product analysis as a means to learn user behaviors and engagement patterns, as well as an important way to measure ecosystem success. It introduces a multi-device analytics approach and discusses some new concepts designed to address multi-device measurement challenges. Case studies on multi-device measurement using Google Analytics and paving the ecosystem way with A/B testing complement the discussion with hands-on guidance.
- Chapter 8
This chapter discusses the ecosystem challenges we’re facing today both as consumers and as product developers. On the consumer side, there are hurdles around setting up the ecosystem, getting it going, and dealing with app overload. From the product development perspective, the ecosystem approach presents challenges in terms of organizational structure, walled gardens, and time (and resources) to market. This chapter explores possible solutions to address these challenges and prepare ourselves for a world where everything—people, information, and things—will be more connected than ever before.
Online Resources
Over time, I have found a few websites particularly useful when contemplating multi-device design and the ecosystem of devices. Some of the ones I like most include:
Scott Jenson, Exploring the World Beyond Mobile (http://jenson.org/)
LukeW, Ideation + Design (http://www.lukew.com/)
Punchcut Perspectives (http://punchcut.com/perspectives)
Cisco.com, Internet of Everything—Connecting the Unconnected (http://www.cisco.com/web/tomorrow-starts-here/index.html)
Our Mobile Planet (http://bit.ly/18WlzXJ)
Conventions Used in This Book
This book contains a set of perspectives, aiming to equip you with a thought framework that can guide you as you approach multi-device experience design, along with various practical, hands-on design principles that can already be applied in your day-to-day work.
As you progress through the book, you will find case studies, first-person stories, spotlight discussions, and analysis questions woven through the chapters. All these components work together to provide a comprehensive picture of the multi-device space.
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Acknowledgments
Many good people helped make this book a reality. I’m deeply thankful for each and every one of you, and would like to especially acknowledge the following people.
Mary Treseler, my editor at O’Reilly, gave me the opportunity to engage in this remarkable journey, and accompanied me along the way. Thank you so much for your ongoing mentorship, support, guidance, and encouragement. It made a world of difference.
Patricia Boswell and Amy Jollymore, my developmental editors, helped me craft the literary art of this book. Being a first-time author, I learned so much from you about what great writing means. Thank you for that, and for making all the pieces work together synergistically.
Justine Tiu, my graphic designer, worked with me relentlessly on the visual art of this book. Thank you for making this book beautiful.
All my esteemed reviewers provided so much useful feedback that truly turned this book around. Samantha Starmer, Scott Jenson, Dan Saffer, Karl Fast, Ran Makavy, Adam Ungstad, Austin Govella, Tom Boates, Lane Halley, and Chris Risdon: thank you for your great advice and thoughts, and for challenging me to stretch my limits even further.
All the book contributors took the time to share their knowledge and experience through discussions and case studies. Scott Jenson, Nir Eyal, Ori Shaashua, Eyal Baumel, Daniel Waisberg, Rochelle King, and Michael Spiegelman: thank you for complementing the book with your invaluable contributions.
At Google, I would like to particularly thank Rob Peterson, Jon Wiley, Mike Gordon, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Emily Wood for their help and support. Also, I would like to thank Shuly Galili, Gil Ben Artzy, Liron Petrushka, and Yael Winer from UpWest Labs for their ongoing encouragement, as well as the opportunity to mentor dozens of the best startup companies out there. A special thanks to the entire staff at O’Reilly for making this book happen, in the smoothest way possible.
Last but definitely not least, I would like to thank my loved ones, my dear friends and family, who stood by me all along the way. Writing a book while maintaining a fulltime job at Google meant working consistently late nights and weekends for over a year. I’m indebted to you for your unbounded support, encouragement, and love during all this time. I couldn’t have done it without you.
#Grateful #Humbled
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