Friday, November 2, 2012

How People Use their iPads

In the study, there were 16 participants (half men, half women). They were all iPad users and most were between 21-50 years of age. They recruited individuals with differing occupations so that they can cover a sample with differing interests. They also made sure that the individuals participating in the study had prior experience with the iPad so that they could try to represent the average iPad user. Their iPad usage was tracked over a two month span.

iPads are used for media consumption

The study determined that the iPad is used mostly for media consumption, with a slight exception being email. Nearly all participants of the study used their iPads for games as well. They also used them for social networking, watching videos, and reading the news. They also determined that the people would share their iPads with other members of their family.

Websites designed for computers translate well to iPads

It was also determined that websites designed for desktop computers are readable and usable on the iPads. However, some websites tend to do a better job than others. An example is given regarding Virgin America’s large buttons, which make it easier for the users to click the correct items. They say that the site “leaves room for error.”

Apps are not as successful as websites

In their tests, they determined that it was easier for users to complete tasks on the Web than on apps. Apps contained less content than websites and were sometimes too confusing. Apps should make the user’s life easier, but the study showed that some apps make the user work more.

When designing an app, cater to the audience

The study gives tips on what to do if a company needs an app. They determined that it is important for the app to design for repeat users so the users have a reason to continue using the website. It is also important that the iPad app has a “secret weapon” compared to the website. It should deliver some sort of extra value, such as a recipe app that does not involve much scrolling or zooming in. This adds value because someone cooking would not want to have to continue touching their iPad or smartphone. They also state that the designer should design the iPad app as if it were an iPad app, rather than an iPhone app. The app should be user-friendly, and add value to the individuals using it.

2 comments:

  1. This is talking about how they ran test on normal people to see how they use the iPad. After testing them for 2 months everything they did had something to do with media, do you think that social networking is taking over this day in age? Also, it talks about how the websites on the computer differ from the iPads. They explain that apps are not as useful as the website on the iPad. This post says that the apps cater to the users, do you think it is hard to come up with an succussful app?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The research described in this post is very interesting. As someone who has a pretty large amount of experience with apple products and some experience with website development, I think it's strange that this study concluded that regular websites transfer well to mobile devices. Although most HTML or Javasript sites transfer over well, Apple products do not have Adobe Flash. Many sites are based on or have large components in Flash and therefore do not work on iPads.

    ReplyDelete