A PMN Event Innovation Sponsor: DC-KTN Silver Sponsor: Immersion
A PMN event Innovation Sponsor Silver Sponsor

MEX: Enhancing mobile user experience in a multi-platform world

The next MEX is on 19th - 20th May 2010, WallaceSpace, London, UK | Register
> Homepage

Conference
> Register
> Introduction
> Agenda
> Scholarships
> Sponsors
> Venue
> Photos
> Contact us

MEX Awards
> Browse entries
> Entry guidelines
> 2009 Winners
> 2008 Winners
MEX Awards

MEX Report
> Buy MEX Report
Buy the MEX Report from 2nd/3rd December 2009

MEX Videos
> Watch videos from MEX
Watch videos from MEX, May 2009

Latest insights
> MEX Blog
> Free MEX Newsletter

Services
> Consulting
> Analyst coverage

Contact
Marek Pawlowski
t: +44 7767 622957
e: mp@pmn.co.uk
tw: @marekpawlowski
tw#: #mex10

May 2009, Manifesto #1: User interface design is key to leadership in application stores

Videos





Presentations

Hampus Jakobsson on Manifesto 1, Day 1 - User interface design is key to leadership in application stores

Speakers
  • Hampus Jakobsson, Co-founder and Vice President of Business Development, TAT (Profile)
Session details

Time Activity Location
16:00:00 Keynote presentation Main conference room
16:30:00 Breakout sessions Team rooms
17:30:00 Breakout teams report back for group debate Main conference room

Manifesto statement
We believe...current app stores are little more than glorified lists. They are time consuming to browse and innovative applications are often buried by poor interface design. The opportunity is for a next generation provider to transcend the traditional scrolling list and establish market leadership through innovative UI design, an open approach to commercial partnerships and advanced customer understanding.

Tags
iPhone; Apple; Application; Developers; Fragmentation; Market; Interface; Open; SDK; On Device Portal; ODP

The story
Between July 2008 and January 2009, users of the iPhone and iPod Touch downloaded 500m applications from the Apple App Store. The industry has rightly heralded the success of this distribution channel and developers are flocking to the platform to gain access to an active and motivated customer base. However, with more than 15,000 entries in the catalogue, getting your application noticed is becoming more and more difficult.
Other platform providers, including network operators, handset manufacturers, independent distribution channels and operating system developers, are now seeking to emulate Apple's success with application stores of their own. Some differentiate by the terms they offer to developers, while others, such as Nokia, are planning to add a social dimension to the store experience, allowing users to easily share recommendations with like-minded customers.
However, almost all existing application stores subscribe to the same visual formula first employed on the iPhone. No provider has yet been brave enough to break with precedent and experiment with new visual merchandising techniques. The industry has much to learn about the value of user interface and may find rich sources of inspiration in both traditional retailing and PC-based stores.


To get you thinking...
  • Are categorised lists the only solution for application stores or is there a more innovative way to help users find the software they're most likely to buy?
  • Is there are an upper limit on the number of applications current stores like the Android Market and Apple App Store can support before it becomes too difficult for new developers to get noticed?
  • What is the role of PC-based stores and physical retail space in mobile application distribution? Can they add unique value to the user experience which cannot be delivered through the mobile environment alone?
Further reading from the MEX archives
Stat Spots
  • 4.8m: There were 200m application downloads from the Apple App Store in the 42 days to 16th January, an average of 4.8m per day. This is more than double the daily average in the prior 45 day period, when 100m applications - or 2.2m per day - were downloaded. Apple attributed this to an increase over the holiday period. As of January 2009, the App Store had recorded 500m downloads in total and contained 15,000 applications. | (Source: MocoNews)
  • 340.00%: Electronic Arts, which makes games for iPhone platform, saw a 340% increase in sales over the 2008/9 holiday period, buoyed by a seasonal uptick in purchasing by Apple customers and a sales promotion where the company cut prices for its products by 50%. | (Source: MocoNews)
  • 61.00%: 61% of UK and US users have stopped using services such as email, internet browsing, instant messaging and MMS because they couldn't solve the usability problems they encountered, according to a Coleman Parkes study of 4000 users on behalf of Mformation. | (Source: Coleman Parkes / Mformation)
  • 25.00%: A quarter of applications in the iPhone App store were games as of February 2009, representing more than 1500 titles - more than the combined total for the Nintendo DS and PSP. | (Source: Rethink Wireless)
  • 14.00%: The iPhone accounts for 14% of mobile game downloads in the US as of February 2009. | (Source: Rethink Wireless)
  • 32.40%: Almost a third of US iPhone owners have downloaded a game, compared with 3.8% of the wider population downloading games during 2008. | (Source: Rethink Wireless)
  • 80.00%: 4 out of every 5 customers choose to pay via operator billing rather than credit card when using Nokia N-Gage gaming service. | (Source: Nokia)

Back to video index >>


Conference
> Register
> Introduction
> Agenda > Scholarships
> Sponsors
> Venue
> Photos
> Contact us

> Homepage 		Latest insights
> MEX Blog
> Free MEX Newsletter

MEX Report
> Buy MEX Report
Buy the MEX Report from 2nd/3rd December 2009

MEX Videos
> Watch videos from MEX
Watch videos from MEX, May 2009 		Services
> Consulting
> Analyst coverage 		Contact
Marek Pawlowski
t: +44 7767 622957
e: mp@pmn.co.uk
tw: @marekpawlowski
tw#: #mex10

(c) PMN Publications 1995 - 2010. All brands and product names are acknowledged and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.