Download our very own Android 1.6 wireframe stencil add-on for OmniGraffle 5.x.  This is the exact tool we use to create wireframes for our Android customers.  As part of the UX community, we believer in sharing the tools of the trade.  Wireframe stencils like this one help us visualize and mock up mobile designs and IA for apps and web sites.  Please feel free to share and download.

We also added a “UX Tools” tab to our Blog to help you find and share our tools.  We are planning to share our Android 2.1 wireframe stencil soon!

Download Version 1.0 of the Android 1.6 Wireframe Stencil

To learn more about our wireframe stencil, click here.

It was an interesting week in mobile.  This past Tuesday we saw the culmination of the “Flash on the iPhone” debate with an open letter by Steve Jobs on the homepage of the Apple website…
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

We quickly saw a response by Adobe cofounders John Warnock and Chuck Geschke…
http://www.adobe.com/choice/

Jobs openly denounced Flash as an impediment to the mobile iPhone experience. He blames Flash’s battery consumption, proprietary nature, and inability to match the iPhone Touch capability as reasons to exclude Flash on Apple devices.  Adobe, on the other hand, challenged Apple’s perception of what it means to be an “open platform”.

In our opinion, it is too early in the mobile space to try to define standards for the mobile experience.  Imagine if in 1996 Dell decided not to allow jpegs to open on their PCs.  The fragmentation is too wide and unstable to force one or two platforms to conform to a set standard.  Standards will be defined over time by end users and by what they deem to be the most optimized and efficient method to deliver positive experiences to the mobile web.

Show us the Data

I challenge Adobe and Apple to provide performance data on Flash to back up their claims.  The release of the Marlin Platform will assist in the gathering of performance data on page elements, Ajax, and even Flash – correlating their impact to battery, signal strength, and the user experience.  With actual user data on the performance of the mobile web experience, we can begin a conversation of whether or not a platform hinders or enhances the mobile web.

We at Marlin Mobile have had recent conversations about what represents the language of security.  Online we use locks, secure icons, and other visual representations to indicate to the user that a website is secure.  Regardless of its standing, the issue of security grew out of the maturity of transactions and sales as web commerce emerged (e-commerce, enterprise, web 2.0, etc.).

But what is the language for mobile security?

As more transactions occur on mobile devices, we need to indicate to the user that their mobile experience is secure.  I have shown the example of FANDANGO‘s iPhone app that allows the users to buy tickets online.  We see no indicator of security or description to the user about the security of their mobile experience.  This is a common trend seen on most apps, mobile web pages, and other mobile platforms.

A solution?  A visual language of icons and process to indicate to the user that a mobile app or site is Mobile Secure.

A recent summary article by Reuters, “Will Solar Speed up Emerging Cell Phone Revolution?“, does a nice job of capturing the current realities and future potential of solar powered cell phones in developing economies.  The correspondents quote Abdul Bayes, an economics professor from Bangladesh’s Jahangirnagar University, delivering a very powerful statement that is very familiar to those of us who are crafting business models that embrace the mobile web in developing and emerging economies…

Bayes, who has studied the impact of mobile phones on developing economies, estimates that GDP increases by one or two percent for every 10 percent increase in mobile phone access.

Global business news headlines are made daily within developing economies pertaining to partnerships among carriers and governments, carriers and device manufacturers, content providers and various parties, etc.  Much is debated globally over the role of government bureaucracy and regulation in expanding mobile access from an infrastructure perspective.  So much so, I believe the casual observer would tend to think that carrier penetration is the primary barrier to mobile access within developing economies.  I define quality mobile access as access to web-enabled banking, commerce, and social networking in its most simplistic formats.  When considering the substantive reality of solar powered phone technology and grid access, it becomes clear that network infrastructure (GSM coverage maps) is ahead of cost-effective device technology for the developing world consumer – with the goal of a quality mobile experience for the masses. With that said and as the solar technology matures, this short-cut to affordable power to enable such mobile access may prove to be one of this century’s greatest catalysts to economic opportunity.

This set of slides focuses on presenting the role of User Experience (UX) design in web projects. This is a step by step review of deliverables that are available to a designer, client, and team.

Presented to Graphic Design students at Suffolk University in October 2009

Global m-commerce is accelerating in global consumer adoption faster than the pundits anticipated.  In my mind, nothing reflects this more than eBay’s recent announcement regarding year-to-date revenue derived from m-commerce:   http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=31936

News like this has the potential to serve as a game changing proof point for mobile strategy-hesitant domestic retailers that may also be heavy in Yankee provincialism.  Just did the math…With the assumption that the current pace continues, the m-commerce channel for eBay will  be 5-6% of revenue for 2009.  This was achieved by eBay without an elaborately defined effort – just an experimental toe dip.  Any guesses on 2011?  I bet 20% is not outrageous as the user experience becomes refined and the reach of the mobile web expands its global footprint.  Then again, given how dynamic their business model can cater to ‘mobile-first’ regions and the acceleration of mobile web access in those regions, perhaps all bets are off.

Part of a series of presentations for design students focusing on the web process and UX; I am including the link here for the first set of slides. Please enjoy and share.

*Updated -  I just created an audio track for the slides. Please Enjoy!

Presentation given at Suffolk University this past Friday Sept 25, 2009

An article in the Washington Post claims that USAA bank has already deposited over $1.5 million checks through their iPhone application in their first 3 days. It allows a user to take a photo of the check and this starts the process electronically.

I am excited to hear whether or not this level of transactions will maintain the number of repeat users over time. At least, this is a first step in mobile banking transactions that directly use the smart phone technology and attributes to allow the user to interact with the transaction

You can follow our UX conversation using @marlinUX

Social influence marketing became a topic this week within the Marlin Mobile executive team.  This week we attended the workshop: Why Social Media is Critical to B2B Companies’ Success hosted by 451 Marketing; a marketing agency focused on social influence marketing. The topics ranged from using social media platforms to create brand awareness to lead generation.  As a mobile technology company, the topic of mobile application stickiness goes hand in hand with the stickiness of social media.

Earlier this week, Razorfish released their 2009 Fluent: The Razorfish Social Influence Marketing Report.  Along with the workshop we attended, it helped create a clearer picture of the role that social media is playing in the influencing of both consumers and B2B decision makers.  It is clear that social media has played an important role in the brand awareness of successful companies and product launches in the past year.

You can follow 451 Marketing on Twitter and become a fan of Marlin Mobile on Facebook.