mobile devices
Do you get frustrated when you have to wait a few seconds for a website to load? Do you click elsewhere if it takes too long? Well, you’re part of the majority who have major attention issues online.
A new study entitled, “The State of the User Experience,” from Limelight Networks, finds that roughly 1 in 5 respondents aren’t willing to wait longer than 3 seconds for a website to load before getting frustrated and leaving. Three seconds!!
The rest, about 6 in 10 overall, are willing to wait up to 5 seconds, but no longer. What an impatient lot.
So, are we more or less patient when it comes to our mobile devices? Continue reading
If you think all your marketing messages, websites, and landing pages should cater to mobile devices ONLY, a new study says otherwise. In fact, users often switch devices in order to finish tasks on a larger screen.
The Facebook study (commissioned by GfK) indicates that within the US, a slight majority - 53% of respondents who own two devices - switch between them to finish tasks, while 77% of those who own three devices do so.
Larger screens are simply easier for things like making purchases, paying bills, booking travel, making donations, etc. That’s good news for those of us who have fretted over our sites’ mobile accessibility.
As tablets and smartphones have become increasingly entwined within our everyday lives, switching between these devices and our trusty laptops or PCs is becoming ever more common.”
There’s more… Continue reading
Mobile devices are convenient for sure. We can read just about anything on them, but try writing more than a couple of sentences and that’s where they just can’t cut it.
Size does matter, I’m afraid. At least for me.
I spend the most time on my desktop computer working in my home office. The screen is 25″ wide, allowing me to switch between windows easily. It’s great having a large screen for graphic design and copywriting while researching online. My keyboard has lighted keys and the mouse is ergonomic, designed for gaming. I can do anything on my desktop, except lug it around.
My 10″ netbook is ideal for traveling, working on airplanes and in the passenger seat of my car. The screen is smaller to see entire web pages, but the keyboard is easy to use. I have a USB laptop mouse I can attach so I don’t have to use the touchpad for long periods.
Then, I have an HD tablet, which I mostly use in the evenings to read social media, check Web sites, read blogs and books, and occasionally play games The challenge comes when I try to write blog comments or compose anything. Without a keyboard, it’s a pain in the butt.
Then, there’s the Smartphone. Unlike my younger colleagues whose thumbs dance across the keys, I loathe using it. The screen is small and I can’t write a thing unless it’s a few words. It’s definitely NOT for writers.
As much as mobile devices are convenient and allow us to keep in touch almost anywhere, they have major limitations. When I want to write, design, or research, the largest of my computing devices is my preference.
What about you? What do you use your mobile devices for versus larger computers? Do you find them limiting, too?
