September 5, 2006 - 5:09 P.M.
Mobile search is a different beast
- IT TOPICS:Emerging Technology, Mobile
Analyst David Ferris points out that the Search function needs to be designed differently for handheld devices. It's not like desktop search. Why? The mobile user is impatient, working on a tiny screen, hates waiting for the screen to load, and just wants an ANSWER RIGHT NOW dagnabbit! Handheld users won't be willing to wade through dozens of search results on multiple pages. Key issues from a human-factors point of view:
- Keying in data is harder.
- Pointing and clicking is harder.
- There is very limited screen space -- it's harder to offer different options and interpretations of the query string.
- The user is in a different state of mind -- typically, in a hurry and wants to get his/her query resolved quickly.
- The user is more likely to be interested in identifying geographically local resources.
Ferris says this situation may provide an opening for companies such as m-spatial Ltd., which specializes in local, mobile search. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Google is working on it, too.
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