Tag Archives: mashable

Bands are Behind on Mobile (an Infographic)

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Musicians are surprisingly behind when it comes to going mobile — this infographic, put together by Mashable in preparation for SXSW says nearly 91 percent of band websites provide a poor mobile experience.

But for big music festivals and other on-the-go events where users hear about many bands for the first time, it’s extremely important to offer good information to a mobile user. More fans, more merchandise sales, and more ticket sales next time the band comes to their hometown. A good mobile site is a key part of discovery and relationship-building when it comes to garnering new fans.

And check out the common complaints (from users) near the bottom. Though they’re specifically talking about band websites, you can bet they say the same things about other mobile websites — maybe even your clients’ mobile sites. Rock on, dude. Go mobile. (See a bigger version of the infographic here.)

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Creative QR Code Campaigns that Reward Users for Scanning

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We learned a lot from this Mashable post,  ”Five big mistakes to avoid on your QR coding.” But what we took away most came from the very last bullet point, which featured a list of ways you can produce a smashing QR code experience for your users. The author gave us a list of seven things that successful QR coding contains. Here are some (not all) of them. Be on the look out for more successful and creative QR code campaigns.

1. Exclusive rich media, videos and photos. Smash journals come with QR code right on their packaging. When a viewer scans the code on their new book, they see a video of some creative ways they can use it.

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2. Exclusive or time-sensitive access. ThinkGeek ran a campaign giving away free shirts — with the QR code that tells you about the deal printed right on the shirt. Now the code gives you a message that begins, “This is not the free t-shirt you are looking for…”

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3. “Instant Win” contests. Food Should Taste Good did a summer giveaway last year, where they included QR codes on their packaging. Users could scan the code, enter the 7-digit number and enter to win rad prizes (Weber Q grills and Flip Cameras? Yes please.) while they waited in line at the grocery store. Smart.

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4. Special offers, coupons or gifts. In 2010, Clinique ran a magazine ad with a QR code that rewarded the user for scanning the QR code with a “special offer.” (Don’t try scanning this now though. It doesn’t work.)

Have you seen a good example of a QR code campaign lately? Let us know! Leave us a comment and we’ll get consider featuring it in a future blog post.

Smartphone? Tablet? Thoughts on Samsung’s New GALAXY Note

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Image from www.slashgear.com

There’s a new mobile device making waves in the mobile waters — it’s a 5-inch smartphone (the largest yet) from Samsung: the GALAXY Note. It’s either a really big smartphone or a really small tablet, and Samsung is calling it the “The ultimate on-the-go mobile device.”

Technically the Note is a phone, but the large screen makes it act like a tablet. The device even comes with a stylus (er, “S Pen”). Seemingly, you can use the S Pen to write notes, trace images from websites, draw things, and share photos, web sites, maps, etc., with custom text and drawings.

The folks at Mashable didn’t think it was particularly useful as a note-taking device, and they weren’t keen on the stylus. But the videos for the Note’s capabilities show that it provides unprecedented customization and sharing abilities, and the large screen/small pointer combo provides some fun new functions you can’t get on a small screen with a pair of thumbs.

But frankly, this phone is simply too big to be useful. The Note probably has exceeded the practical size limit for a phone — it won’t fit easily in your hand and it’s not very portable. Check out this parody, where the author uses the Note to lift weights and watch TV. And this BGR review is particularly irate at the Note’s poor usability and iPhone copycat design. We hope Samsung’s designers pay more attention to human factors going forward.

In any case, this device presents a problem for mobile marketers. Do you target it with a mobile website or a desktop site?

As we’ve said before, you should design differently for tablets and phones. Tablet users can easily navigate a desktop site on their large screens, and a mobile site is usually too simple for tablets — it won’t provide an optimal experience or hold attention for long.

But for this big smartphone, we say mobile design is the way to go. The 5-inch screen is still much smaller than most tablet screens — even the Kindle Fire’s 7-inch screen. The mobile design will be easily navigable (users can even leave the stylus behind, for real on-the-go usability) and will provide a better experience than pinching and zooming on a desktop site. And, hopefully, the Note will be the end of the tablet-smartphone fusion device.

Why Your Clients Need Mobile Sites Right Now

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In December, Mashable talked to Jesse Haines, group marketing manager for Google Mobile Ads, who said that only 21 percent of businesses have a mobile website. That’s a low number.

We’ve said it before, but it’s imperative — now more than ever — for a business to have a mobile website. According to a recent survey from Compuware, 40 percent of users have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.

Check out these stats from Compuware:

  • 71 percent of mobile web consumers expect websites to load as quickly, almost as quickly or faster on their mobile phone compared to the computer they use at home
  •  In 2009, this number above was 58 percent.
  • 46 percent of mobile web users are unlikely to return to a website that they had trouble accessing from their phone.
  • 57 percent are unlikely to recommend a site they had trouble accessing on their phone.
  • 34 percent are likely to visit a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.
We like this idea from the folks at Social Media Explorer:
While launching something on the web is not a matter of “if you build it, they will come,” when you add mobile optimization to an existing property, they will. —Jason Falls
These guys launched a mobile website last December and their unique page views skyrocketed with 285 new visitors per day — 104,000 per year (click here to see the graph).

Mojaba lets you quickly build mobile sites for your clients — and keep track of them (and they’re analytics) all in one convenient window. Try it out today by joining our Beta program, and bring your clients into the age of mobile.
You can sign up for the Mojaba Pre-Launch Program today. Just go to the entry form to sign up!

How the Facebook App Conditions Mobile Users

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The homescreen on the left features large photos and a boxy grid with plenty of white space for easy readability and navigation. The app screen is on the right touts faster speeds and better performance.

Just as Facebook users are adjusting to the new Timeline format, there’s also a new app to play with. This week heralds the emergence of the new Facebook mobile app—the iOS 4.1 Timeline-enabled edition was released Sunday, and the Android version released late last week.

The new app features large, thumb-friendly buttons, heavy white space for readability, a clean and boxy format, faster upload times and easy-to-navigate pop-up screens for notifications and friend requests. And  the hideable navigation panel on the left allows users to easily access messages, pages, events and friends.

In short, it’s a great user experience. Some of the folks at TUAW even think it’s better than the desktop version of Timeline.

Why marketers should pay attention to the new Facebook app

The Facebook app has become one of the primary ways users experience the Internet on their phones. Though it is a native app, it is setting the standard of mobile web use, meaning users will start expecting similar features from other apps—and largely, mobile websites.

Imagine: a Facebook mobile user is browsing his feed with ease when he sees a friend’s link to a new restaurant. When he clicks the link, the website should be formatted for his mobile device to ensure a seamless Facebook/Web transition. If not, he may well leave the site immediately, rather than pinch and zoom to access the information.

Think about how your website (or your clients’ websites) will appear if the user comes to them from a mobile app like Facebook. Is it time to upgrade?

The friend request screen is now a pop-up instead of a rolling screen.

A hideable navigation panel lets the user easily access friends, events and pages.

Likewise, notifications come in a pop-up screen and doesn't disrupt the user's browsing.