Mobile Usability: How Nokia Changed the Face of the Mobile Phone

Designers struggled mightily to solve the problem of the menu with 200 items (i.e., the Nokia 3310 mobile phone), because they found that pressing 12 keys to reach each function wastes the user’s time. In addition to the design challenge, this problem raised another question: Is speed important?

In the study of human–computer interaction, the quality of a user interface is called usability. Jakob Nielsen, a distinguished usability expert, defines the concept to consist of learnability, memorability, efficiency, error rate, and satisfaction.^[3] His definitions and the heuristic rules that he proposes for spotting usability defects have been used extensively. The four first attributes are relatively easy to measure with a stopwatch (hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds) and with counters (number of errors). These can be easily turned into value (dollars, euros, yens) by multiplying the wasted work time with the hourly rate of the unproductive time. The last attribute, satisfaction, is much more difficult to express in numbers. Naturally, the users can be asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 how much they agree with the sentence “I felt in control?” and several other claims. Although user satisfaction can be converted to a numerical value in principle, it is close to impossible to convert a satisfaction rating into a monetary value.

Traditionally, usability specialists have concentrated on making systems efficient and accurate. The satisfaction attribute has been used for evoking the users’ subjective evaluation of efficiency and accuracy. Those evaluations ignored the fact that there are many inefficient, relatively inaccurate systems with which users are extremely satisfied. Consider the following examples:

• Games. These are intentionally difficult to learn and master. Three errors typically mean that the user needs to start the game all over again.

• Virtual chatrooms. Users spend time wandering around a 3D world before talking to strangers in the virtual chatroom. They could achieve the same amount of chat much faster if it were text-based.

• Websites. Many Websites use unnecessary graphics, GIFs, flash animations, and other features. Content could be delivered more efficiently with plain text.

• Mobile phones. When users are changing color covers, downloading icons and ringing tones, and playing games with their phone, do they really achieve something we could call efficiency?

• Electronic banking. The users regularly go through an unnecessary number of steps because the bank wants users to feel that their transactions are safe and confidential.

In addition, designers of personal technology such as mobile phones and handheld computers must think of the product as a companion to the users. People may spend more time in a relationship with a device than with any of their friends. As in all human relationships, attitudes toward an electronic companion change. In the beginning, the fun of exploring the possibilities of a device and the sheer pride of ownership can engender very positive feelings about a product. Later, when the user gets to know all the product features and perhaps finds some unexpected disappointments, these feelings can change to boredom or dissatisfaction.

It is no longer sufficient to design products that support users’ tasks efficiently and without undue errors. Personal technology must also fulfill emotional needs, which are much more difficult to evaluate and design for than the practical ones. These products need to live with each user in a longlasting relationship, avoiding premature divorce.

^[3]H. Wikberg, “How Small Can We Go? A Mobile Phone User Interface Based on Single Key,” in OzCHI 2000 Conference Proceedings, Sydney, Dec. 2000.