Recap: Designing for the Multi-Device-Owning Consumer

At our April 21, 2011 meeting, Michigan UPA welcomed Marta Strickland, Innovation Director at MRM Worldwide, who shared her insights on emerging trends and next generation technology.

The room was filled with attendees who came from as far as Lansing and Ann Arbor to hear about digital innovation, consumer behavioral trends, and identifying opportunities for platforms and brands.

Thank you to sponsor Cengage Learning and contact person, Derek Poppink, for their support of Michigan UPA and hosting Marta’s presentation.

Here are notes from the presentation:

Three Things We Know About “Emerging” Devices

1. People are buying more smartphones
2. People use their smartphone differently than a feature phone
3. Owning a smartphone changes what people expect

Consumer Usage of Smartphones and Tablets

• We are creating a hyperconnected multi-device ecosystem
• First-time early adopters of tablets aren’t replacing any current device
• Highest tablet use is from 6pm to 10pm -> the “sofa effect”
• 70% of smartphone users access the Internet on their mobile device daily
• NFC and RFID have a lot of potential, but until phones have those technologies, you’ll be speaking to a small population.

11 Consumer Trends Driving Digital Innovation

1. Power of Now
2. Concierge Culture
3. Consumer Control
4. Evolution of Commerce
5. Coupon Chic
6. Worlds Collide
7. Brand Me
8. Know Me
9. Seamless Experiences
10. World’s a Game
11. Attention Management

Privacy

Asked how do you build consumer trust around the use of consumer’s information, Marta responded:

• Give consumer levels in which they can engage
• Educate consumers. “Here’s what we’ll offer if you give us this information.”

Final Takeaways

• It’s not about creating more screens for the consumer, it’s about creating the right content for the consumer
• Every screen and experience needs to speak clearly and quickly as to what it will do for the consumer

After the presentation, we had a lively discussion about user experience and best practices with Marta and attendees, with questions about mobile, social, statistics and the applications Marta mentioned during her presentation. Thank you to Marta for providing a copy of her slidedeck.

Posted by Deborah Edwards-Onoro, an officer for Michigan Usability Professionals’ Association since 2008. She owns Lireo Designs, a web development company, is a group leader of Refresh Detroit and host of Tweetea. You can find her tweeting about usability, user experience, accessibility and higher education @redcrew.