WebWord

Even if you think you have the best mobile web site on the planet, many people still think the overall mobile experience is terrible. That means that your wonderful mobile web site isn’t all that special to those people.

Let’s take a look: Five Reasons Why The Mobile Web Sucks

1. Wireless carrier networks are SLOW
2. Public WiFi access is a SCAM
3. Sites aren’t formated for small screens
4. Mobile device screens are too small
5. Advertising gets in the way

Yes, it’s true that the mobile phone user experience is getting better all the time, but it still isn’t good enough for a huge fraction of potential users. Putting that another way, I think that people *want* to enjoy web sites from mobile phone and mobile devices, but they can’t for one reason or another. (See the above article if you can’t understand why browsing the web from a cell phone or mobile device stinks.)

By the way, you have to remember that it isn’t just the devices. Few people can claim they have “The Best Mobile web Site” — Indeed, most web sites aren’t even viewable from a mobile phone.

The iPhone and Blackberry, for example, have made the experience better. However, again, it isn’t just about the device. Coverage is spotty and expensive and complicated. That makes the experience miserable in many cases.  And, the business models aren’t friendly to users. Take a look at issue number 5 from Five Reasons Why The Mobile Web Sucks — Advertising gets in the way.

The bottom line is that the mobile experience is better than it was but it still has a long way to go. Creating the best mobile web site will help you but you need to try to make the entire user experience is excellent. That’s hard to do since so many factors and variables are out of your control.

Eventually things must get better. However, right now, it’s a train wreck…

I’ve seen this concept twice now. It’s the same guy: Fred Reichheld

Would You Recommend Us? (Business Week) — McCabe says higher scores have already been linked to a greater likelihood that GE Healthcare will win new contracts from existing hospital clients. “Ultimately, it’s not about the score,” he says. It’s about “focusing on the customer.”

Measurement: It’s Easier Than You Think – “The key to generating “good profits,” he says, is a single-minded focus on customer satisfaction.” (Marketers: Don’t miss this one.)

Two things I love about this research. First, it’s extremely easy to understand and exploit. Second, it’s about satisfying customers. That means at least one more thing: usability.

p.s. I’d recommend The Simple Cash Blog to people but that’s because it’s mine. My guess is that kind of recommendation doesn’t count.

First, I need to ask you a question. Do you remember faces really well? And, here’s a second question. Do you remember faces better than names? Do you feel frustrated because you remember people when you see them, but you just can’t remember their names? 

Yeah, well, you’re just like 99% of the rest of the world… 

There’s nothing special about your ability to recognize people. It’s also case that most people are terrible with names. You’re human, like the rest of us.

You see, the vast majority of people are really good at recognition. That is, people are good at pattern matching. Recognition is most often described as multiple choice. If you give most people choices, where the right answer is one of the possibilities, then people do fairly well. That’s because we’re all good at recognizing what we know.

That’s pattern matching, and we’re good at it. 

On the other hand, most people are not so good at recall. This is the effort required to come up with the answer yourself. The answer isn’t right in front of you. You’re required to dig into memory on your own, to find the answer. Recall is often described as fill-in-the-blank or writing and essay.

OK, back to the previous topic: names versus faces. It’s just a lot harder to remember names than faces. Humans are wired to recognize and pattern match (and guess), but they’re not so good at digging up memories.  Here’s something that will always help you: cues. In plain terms, if you give someone a piece of the answer (i.e., cue), you will increase accuracy. 

Life is all about cues. If you think you’re going to forget something, leave behind cues. This is why writing notes to yourself is so smart. If you think you’re going to forget then leave behind those breadcrumbs. Design your life in a way that gives you more opportunities for recognition. More recognition and less recall is what you want. 

(Hint: This is why people love name tags!) 

Also, routines help. The reason is that humans fall into patterns. We’re creatures of habit. So, find ways to turn your tasks in routines, which are models that you use over and over. They get burned into your mind and your body, and they become automatic. If you think you’re going to forget something simply turn it into a regular activity. Eventually, it’ll just get cooked right into the hardware. Just watch for forming bad habits. 

By the way, if you have a routine, then you don’t need to depend on your memory. You just “know” it. There’s hardly any recall and just a little recognition. In essence, routines help you circumvent the problems you face with your memory, almost entirely. (This is also known as automaticity.) 

The third user experience mind trick is association. I could go on and on about mnemonic devices, which is a fancy way of saying memory aids. The core truth of a mnemonic device is that it’ll be about association. When I see a cat, I think “meow” or when I think about the word wife, I think about the word husband. There are millions and billions of ways to make associations. In fact, that’s what mnemonics are all about: ways to form associations.

Here’s a little tip. When you first meet someone, be sure to say that person’s name 1-2 times while talking to them. Don’t be afraid to ask the person their name again. It’s not rude. Most importantly — this is the magic — create a story about the person during the conversion or immediately after. Associate that person with something. It might be how they spell their name, how they walk, where they grew up, or something else. The key is to generate easy cues you can use in the future. You’re creating cues, if you think about it. 

So, let’s recap. The big point is that recognition is generally better than recall. You life gets better when you depend on recognition more than recall. 

And, here are 3 user experience (UX) mind tricks regarding memory improvement: 

1. Look for cues, create cues, use cues. Cues are lovely. 

2. If you want to remember something, don’t depend on your memory: automate it. Routines are great.

3. Form associations. John S. Rhodes and usability and marketing and WebWord. Bam!

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