Mobile devices offer a range of interaction options,
such as touch, swipe, tilt, and shake, that are not available on larger screen devices. This
creates unique opportunities for mobile website and app designers to create engaging user
experiences that capitalize on these capabilities.
However, mobile devices also have a shorter attention span, and users are more
likely to abandon sites that take too long to load. Therefore, optimizing for speed and
minimizing elements that slow down devices, such as excessive JavaScript tags, is crucial.
This is especially important in areas with slower internet speeds, although the rollout of 5G
is improving download speeds for many users.
In addition, mobile devices offer more advanced GPS (Global Positioning System)
location tracking, which allows for more accurate location-based services. This is a significant
advantage over larger screen devices, which mainly rely on IP address to approximate location.
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a utility that provides
users with positioning, navigation, and timing services. It consists of three segments:
- Space segment: • Space segment: consists of a constellation of
approximately 30 satellites that transmit signals giving current GPS satellite position and
time.
- Control segment: comprises of stations that maintain the satellites in
their proper orbit and manage the information transmitted by the satellites.
- User segment: GPS receivers receive GPS satellite signals and use the
information to compute user’s 3-D position and time.
The US Air Force, through the Space Force, develops and operates the space and
control segments.
Mobile apps are developed using software development
kits (SDKs), such as iOS SDK or iPhone SDK, which typically include an integrated development
environment (IDE) for software development.
SDKs can also be configured to record and report usage analytics. Mobile analytic
systems can access built-in features like GPS, gyroscope (orientation) and accelerometer, which
are of relevance to mobile users.
Unlike desktops which use cookies, mobile users are identified through unique IDs,
and since attention span is shorter, session timeout is also shorter than on larger screens.
An important aspect of mobile analytics is the analysis of cohorts. Most apps have
a relatively short lifespan and usage tends to decay over time. Therefore, cohort analysis, which
groups users based on the time the app was installed, is required for understanding user behaviour
and retention.
