Apple

By Chris Holmes

I was asked to field test Apple’s iPad presumably as penance for mouthing off about how impractical and uncomfortable I predicted it would be to use. While I haven’t changed my mind about the iPad, I’m also pleased to say that I was wrong about many details. So just like Jacob Nielsen recently did, I can now reveal my first usability findings for the iPad.

For the record, I started writing this article on the iPad which I was given to test-drive for the weekend, but its not currently very easy to get any copy off the device when typing in Pages, I had to give up and resort to my laptop. Read more…

Despite being one of the most robust and fastest growing markets for fixed-internet users, online gaming/gambling has been slow to be adopted by the mobile revolution.

There are many reasons for this; different screen sizes, platforms, functionality and overall complexity of delivering to different handsets, but one other reason for this neglect is the attitude to online gambling generally in the major US market. Although the industry is still worth many billions of dollars in the US and it is not technically illegal, there has been a stuttering history of acceptance to say the least. The most recent twist could soon make it illegal for financial institutions to knowingly accept payment in online gaming transactions, under a law that is set to take effect next month. Read more…

“Number 1 app in UK, France and Germany…”. Those who regularly browse the Apple AppStore hunting for applications (apps) will undoubtedly be familiar with this type of catch phrase.  It’s generally what users first read when they land on app description pages (as if they were all number one!). Developers and designers use this type of technique to lure candid users to download the app by making them believe it’s the best of its kind on the market. This also illustrates how the success of an app is often assumed: the higher in the ranking, the more successful it is. But as you may probably know already, this approach is entirely flawed. Read more…

When searching for the best Top 5 applications (apps) for the iPhone, I often found reviews based on the personal preferences of their author and how well the apps were addressing particular user needs. This made me want to have a different perspective by creating my own Top Apps list based on how well apps use the iPhone capabilities to meet user requirements. For example, which app best used the new digital compass feature of the iPhone. Read more…

Not one to follow the hype or emerging trend, I was still intrigued by why anyone would queue from 5.30am to buy something, namely the new iPhone which launched last week in the UK. On catching up with my brother-in-law last weekend, an avid iPhone user (and essentially all things Apple), I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. He proudly pulled out his phone and handed it to me, initially I was amazed he would trust his new prised possession in my hands, what if I ‘broke’ something by pressing the wrong button? It would seem that it’s not possible. Read more…

Podcast by Ronan Tighe

Welcome to the first episode in our new Innovations series.

Foviance Consultant, Ronan Tighe talks with Charles Cohen, CEO of Probability plc. Probability is the recognised leader in the emerging segment of mobile phone gambling games.

In this podcast with Charles, a number of very interesting and current topics are discussed including; the challenges of designing for mobile, the impact of Apple and Google’s entrance into the mobile space, the user experience of current mobile games and the upcoming innovations that will change the experience for both users and companies.

• Episode title: An interview with Charles Cohen, CEO, Probability plc.
• Episode number: 1
• Series: Innovation in eGaming
• Duration: 25 minutes

Listen now:

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Or, download Interview with Charles Cohen podcast, 17.5mb

Alternatively you can also read the Podcast transcript.

Back to Gaming podcasts

About our ‘Innovations in eGaming’ podcast series

The ‘Innovations in eGaming’ podcast series highlights companies within the industry that are doing something different. By talking to those responsible for this innovation, we aim to inspire others to push the boundaries of what is possible.

The podcast also deals with the challenges and opportunities that come with being innovative and also how innovation impacts on the user experience. It could be argued that in recent years there has been a real lack of innovation within the gaming industry.

Foviance hopes that by talking with people within the industry who are pushing innovation within their organisations, we can learn from their mistakes and be inspired by their successes.

Blog by Ronan Tighe

It goes without saying that the iPhone and in particular the App Store has revolutionised the mobile market. It has opened up the possibilities of mobile computing that were promised before (WAP anyone?) but never materialised.
The gaming industry obviously wants to get a piece of the action, however Apple’s refusal to allow ‘play for real’ applications in its store has become a major barrier. It’s clear from the popularity of ‘play for fun’ apps such as Apple’s own Texas Holdem game that there is huge demand from iPhone users (myself included).To get around the problem, gaming sites have been making iPhone friendly pages and trying their hardest to direct users to them. Since getting my iPhone I’ve been trying lots of these sites out and have come to the conclusion that there are 3 key factors behind what makes a good site.

Firstly, the layout and design of iPhone sites can be designed very similarly to real apps, which is great, as in the short space of time apps have been around, some helpful design conventions have emerged. Ensuring your site conforms to these conventions ensures that users will learn how to use it very quickly. Betfair’s iPhone site does this really well with the exception of having the ‘home’ button where the ‘back’ button is normally on an app. This frustrates me greatly when I use the site as I still continually hit it by mistake.

Performance is the second major factor in the user experience. A number of casino sites I’ve visited have failed badly in this regard. Sometimes the spin will take less the 4 or 5 seconds to complete, other times it takes over 30 seconds and then crashes. Having tried these games several times over the course of a week on both 3G and several Wi Fi networks the problem remained. It should go without saying that this has a major impact on the user experience. Mobile gaming is all about quickly opening up a game and playing for a couple of minutes whenever the opportunity arises. If you don’t have confidence in being able to do that you simply won’t play. On top of that, would you be willing to place real money on a site that isn’t stable?

Finally the third issue is security, sites need to be secure without over doing it. Users will want to quickly access sites without having to enter their usernames and password every time. At the same time there needs to be some level of security as if you lose your phone you don’t want the person who finds it to be able to access your account. Some sites automatically disconnect when you leave the browser however this is annoying if you are just quickly answering a call. The best approach I’ve seen is the use of a short pin number. It can be quickly entered and provides enough security without hindering the user experience.

By Marty Carroll

Amazon is set to unveil the Kindle 2 today – Feb 9. E-books have enjoyed a few false dawns, but when one of the world’s most customer oriented brands gets in on the act things are a little different.

Quick quiz question? The most successful consumer electronics device in the last 10 years?
No prizes there….the ubiquitous iPod of course. The iPod launched in 2001 and in its first full year (2002) sold 378,000 units. But according to a leading analyst, Amazon sold 500,000 Kindles in its first full year of trading.
(Refer to image above)

What could be better than the planets two most customer-centric brands (Apple and Amazon) fighting it out for a share of the customer’s wallet?