This time last year I was looking forward to what mobile would offer us in 2015. This year I’m casting the net further afield, but inevitably mobile still features to one extent or another, whichever technological trend you look at. After all, for many ‘the mobile internet’ is now simply ‘the internet’; the distinction has become immaterial as mobile becomes their main touch point for information and online interactions.
Here’s what I expect to be the main trends, concerns and areas of attention over the course of 2016.
Web design
There’s a lot of development around web design and UI patterns right now, fuelled by more businesses recognising the need for their sites to be mobile/multi platform ready. As mobile traffic starts to overtake desktop traffic, and continuity and consistency of customer experience across multiple touch points becomes increasingly relevant, so too does the adoption of approaches and templates that makes it easier to achieve.
The easier you make it for a customer to recognise regular functionality, such as registering an account or going to the checkout, the better – we’re now at a point with commonly used features where it’s no longer necessary to reinvent the wheel just because you can. If there’s a tried and tested model of usage that is instantly understandable by the user, then in most cases it’s going to be better to adopt that than force a person to work through something new.
This link goes through the common UI design patterns you can expect to see in 2016. In fact you’ve probably seen a few already.
Google AMP
In October last year, Google announced its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project. The objective was to development a set of technical specifications that publishers could adopt in order to make their websites and online content load faster when accessed by mobile browsers.
Following successful testing, Google are set to roll it out February this year and have already secured commitments from top news, advertising and analytics providers. For developers it should mean that the same code can be used across multiple mobile platforms in order to make pages, regardless of content, load more efficiently. For users it should mean less time surfing and less data spent in the process.
This page provides more info on AMP and links to instructions and code for developing your first page using the specification.
Mobile payments
Mobile payment options and awareness grew over the course of 2015. However, in spite of that, usage appears to have remained low, so expect 2016 to be about how to reduce the gap between awareness and adoption.
Doing so will be as much about increasing opportunities to use mobile payments as it will be about encouraging people to use them. In reality, mobile payment is just another way to use your credit card. Once mass adoption kicks in that won’t be such a big deal, but right now what’s the incentive for people to use a mobile wallet over other payment options that are so well established?
Starbucks provided a clear value proposition with their adoption of mobile payments, incentivising use with special offers on their own products as well as those offered by strategic partnerships (Spotify and The New York Times for example). July last year, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz revealed that mobile transactions accounted for 20 percent of all in-store sales; equating to more than 9 million mobile transactions a week and a 4 percent increase in foot traffic.
Others are also starting to do loyalty programs too: Android Pay started last year with Coca-Cola (awarding points for use against purchases at Coca-Cola vending machines) and Samsung Pay incentivised activation on their handsets in the US with a free wireless charging pad.
Fragmentation, point of sale compatibility and ongoing concerns about the security of payments are still hurdles to adoption, but despite those it does seem that mobile payments are now finally in a position to start gaining some traction.
Rising mobile video adoption
This article from last year covers a comScore report highlighting how people consume video on mobile devices.
It’s clear that improvements in mobile technology and the networks supporting them has reduced the barrier to people accessing what they want, whenever they want. For example the report shows that YouTube app usage rates on smartphones increased by 34 percent over the year, nearing 5 hours of viewing a month; on tablets it was an average of 9 hours a month.
As this trend continues over the course of 2016, advertisers, businesses and media will increasingly be able to reach people with richer content on an everyday basis. With this in mind expect mobile viewings to continue to rise with mobile advertising increasing as a result. Also expect these increases to be supported by greater use of video in all aspects of mobile, as people are now willing to watch more video content for longer on their devices.
Wearable technology
Yes, 2015 was still slow moving for wearable tech. Google Glass stopped selling and smartwatches were still absent from many a writst, but hey Rome wasn’t built in a day.
In truth, the biggest hurdle isn’t the technology, it’s social acceptance. Google Glass is apparently coming back this year, but it’s coming back as a tool for enterprise, which makes sense because used within industries with a legitimate business case Glass provides genuine value without the social stigma to worry about.
From a consumer perspective the sticking points for many are still design, varying standards, having to tether your device to a phone (in most cases), and of course the ever present poor battery life. All these are getting better though. Variety in design is growing, standards are maturing, both Apple and Google have taken steps towards making devices less dependant on direct tethering (through the introduction of Wi-Fi support), and devices with better battery life are starting to arrive.
It’s worth considering that eventually we will come to a point where we will no longer consider the delivery medium; we’ll simply expect to access information and services regardless of where we are, and that it will be delivered to us in the right context for that environment.
Think of television as an example. When I’m watching something at home with others (or on my own) I watch it on the big TV. When the big TV is already in use I use my tablet. When I’m on the train, squashed in with the other rush hour travellers, I look at it on my phone. That makes me sound like a TV junkie, but you get the idea. The point is I don’t even consider the hardware I’m using to watch what I want to watch anymore, I just use the right tool for the job without even thinking about it. Smartwatches and the Internet of Things will eventually become part of that ‘continuity of information access’ model for more and more people.
Perhaps one day we’ll have the Apple iEarBud whose UI is purely audio with voice control. You don’t think so? Give it time…
Internet of Things
IoT had a solid presence at CES, showing that there’s a real impetus behind moving it forward this year.
For starters Microsoft and Samsung announced a new partnership to integrate Samsung devices and software with Windows 10 devices, allowing the monitoring and controlling of household appliances through the use of apps that run on Windows.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm were putting a lot of focus on connected devices within the medical/health care vertical of IoT. Items on display covered diagnostics, therapeutics, and physiological monitoring.
Kwikset’s Kevo Smart Lock turns a smartphone into keys for a home through the use of an accompanying app for iOS and Android devices. Keys can be set up and deleted and even temporarily given to other users to allow access on an ad hoc basis. Of course the main hurdle will be people’s concerns around security – Kevo will track and audit activity, detailing when eKeys have been locked, unlocked, sent out or accepted, but is that enough to make you feel comfortable with the concept?
Intelligent beds, smart shoes and other not so obvious items mixed with the more recognisable watches, jewellery and fitness trackers, showing that there’s a definite desire to explore the possibilities that a world of connected devices and apparel can offer. It was also clear that developers are now looking towards more focused areas of use whilst the larger consumer market continues to be slow to adopt; health care and engineering being the prime examples.
The knock on effect of a spreading Internet of Things will of course be even more data to consume and understand. Better and more effective ways of analysing the information as well as more accessible and creative ways of visualising the results will be needed in order to capitalise on the greater volumes of content streaming in.
Analytics and Big Data
And so we’re reaching a point now where Big Data is less a buzzword and more something that businesses actually do. The means to manipulate and analyse enormous amounts of information (that isn’t necessarily stored in one place) is going to be key to customer insight and maximising ROI. It’s also going to prove invaluable in improving the flows and processes internal to businesses as well.
As IoT, Cloud, and Big Data continue to converge, anyone that is still ignoring the importance of data and analytics, be it Big Data or the more traditional and established forms of analysis, is going to miss out on a vital source of intelligence and the means to understand it. This article on Big Data predictions for 2016 covers a lot of the points of interest.
Focus on customer service as the differentiator
As technology matures it becomes an equaliser rather than a differentiator. In some markets now the differences in the process you step through are minimal, regardless of the competitor you choose to go with. Where businesses have their web and mobile solutions figured out, expect them to start putting the focus back on the level of customer service they provide rather than the technology channel they use to deliver it; and expect them to be supporting this with analytics and Big Data.
Virtual Reality
It seems to be the right time for VR; the tech being used is better, and unlike before people appear to be open to the greater breath of potential for it’s application.
Sure, it’ll start off being used for games this year, but this time round development frameworks for VR are more accessible and users have already dipped their collective feet into the concepts of augmented and virtual reality via their smartphones (Google Cardboard for example). What this should mean is greater interest, quicker adoption and more diverse application of the technology.
It also doesn’t hurt that the likes of Facebook are backing VR with their investment in Oculus Rift. They aren’t the only ones; Sony, Samsung and HTC are also coming to market with their offerings too.
Digital assistants, robo advice and AI
As Siri, Google Now and Cortana continue to improve, and as consumers search for information online more and more, we’ll be seeing “robo helpers”, online guided advice and the application of AI driven systems become more commonplace.
In any instance where advice can be automated, there’s a potential to apply technology to augment the supply of that advice to the end user. There’s good reason to consider it; automated services can allow your workforce to service more customers without a drop in quality, and it does so by allowing you to intelligently focus effort on the areas of customer service that deserve human involvement whilst leaving the simpler solutions or decisions to systems that can deliver them with minimal or no human intervention.
Used intelligently, and blended with access to a human end point as needed, automated advice systems will provide customers with efficient access to knowledge and help whilst simultaneously allowing businesses to reduce costs and scale effectively. In addition, integrating these mechanisms into existing processes will allow businesses to pivot their delivery model towards Millennials and Generation Z as they become the key demographics to target in the not so distant future.
Millennials and the drive for a seamless digital experience
As mentioned above, the expectation for continuity across digital platforms, and through to the associated real world touch points, is going to become increasingly more important.
Although this appears to be the case across an increasingly wider range of age groups than some would have expected, it is the tech-savvy Millennials that are driving this need the most, both with their technical knowledge and their assumptions of what should now be the norm; and as they represent such a high percentage of those who spend, should you really be ignoring their needs?
An increasing amount of people will check online before making any kind of purchasing decision, be it on a product or a service. Right now that means many consumers expect a brand to have a mobile presence, with all the associated features and advanced capabilities that it implies.
However, whilst that may be the focus right now, especially whilst the Internet of Things and wearables are still moving through their slow early days of adoption, we should prepare for the defining desire to be for a seamless multi channel experience, for an experience that is accessible at the point of need rather than dependant on a particular device. So, be prepared to start thinking about how you are accessible via desktop, mobile, tablet, TV, watch, insert you favourite home appliance here; as it’s only a matter of time before this becomes the expectation that mobile is today. Understandably frameworks that help developers to easily do this are going to be a godsend moving forward, so look out for these in 2016 too.
When it comes to linking the online with the real world, technologies such as Apple’s proprietary iBeacon, Google’s Eddystone, as well as other more open and diverse approaches such as wifi and location triangulation, are attempting to bridge the gap. Feedback on how well these achieve the purpose though differs depending on who you ask, so I’ll be looking to explore this further in a blog entry later this year.
And if millennials aren’t a good enough reason on their own to pay attention to your seamless digital experience, then consider Generation Z. Where Millennials embrace technology, Generation Z will be the coming of the true digital native, since all they have ever known is a world of mobile apps, touch-screen devices and a landscape carved from social media and a reduced concern about privacy. For them the boundary between real world and the online world is missing – it’s simply one world. Their idea of a seamless digital experience is not that it’s an added bonus. It’s expected. It’s a necessity. Will you be in a position to provide them with it?
Cyber security
There was plenty in 2015 to draw people’s attention to the topic of cybersecurity, and as potential threats continue to mount, it’s no surprise that cybersecurity is front of mind for many businesses as they look for ways to analyse potential weaknesses and protect themselves. SMBs particularly, are finding themselves the target of attacks more and more as criminals look for those they expect to have less security in place.
For companies with fewer IT resources, the threat of cyber attack is likely to push them in two directions:
- Firstly the use of cloud based solutions that incorporate cybersecurity utilities and approaches that wouldn’t otherwise be available. Cloud providers are recognising this need and increasingly investing in technologies for data protection, network security, threat modelling and quicker incident response
- Secondly companies, both small and large, are recognising the benfit of collaboration in order to share lessons learned and to establish best practices that will see all those participating better equipped for the threats that lay ahead.
Companies also need to provide their employees with awareness training. It’s important to remember that despite the increasingly sophisticated ways in which systems are being breached, it is often the older, tried and tested low tech approaches that are still the most effective. Phishing for example continues to be used, and the only way you combat that is by educating your workforce. Also, staff need to know the procedures that need to be followed in the event of a breach occurring; what steps to follow to get the systems back up and running and what is the right way to communicate the situation outwards to those it could have an effect on.
Wearables, mobile and the the Internet of Things are not going to help. Unsurprisingly the more connected devices in use by businesses and consumers, the more vulnerabilities there are to exploit. With that in mind it’s likely we’ll see more major data breaches through the course of 2016.
And of course the increase in incidents will increase the focus on security and privacy regulation. Right now attention is on Safe Harbour 2.0, as EU officials meet with US counterparts in February to find a common position regarding which legal channels companies can use to transfer data across the Atlantic.
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