Mobile Culture: Interface is Everything
The iTunes “Pick of The Week” program has finally appeared in Canadian Starbucks stores. I first saw the download cards at the counter of a US Starbucks this past summer. The pick that week was Carly Simon. I didn’t rush home to download it. Today I saw that Meaghan Smith was being featured in the Canadian store. Before today I hadn’t heard of her but I didn’t have to wait long to check her stuff out. I downloaded I Know using my iPhone before the barista pulled the espresso. The mobile iTunes interface made this idiot proof.
That got me wondering if Indigo is going to include a custom interface for their mobile content project. If they use the same design for the mobile and the desktop interface then the project will be dead to me. If I had to use the standard iTunes page today I wouldn’t have bothered.
I want to point to two posts on interface design that I have read recently — both concern digital editions on the desktop. Kat Tannock at Magazines Online is less than thrilled with digital editions. Adam Hodgkin at Exact Editions is happy with them. Hopefully the coming innovation in mobile web interfaces (see embed) will improve desktop and mobile ereading, browsing, and buying alike.
Firefox Mobile Concept Video from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.
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