Writing Mobile Code Essential Software Engineering for Building Mobile Applications [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

None of the Details Matter If the Big Picture Is Not Right

This statement is obvious and is often forgotten in the process of getting a mobile application's code written. Developers get lost in the code and forget about what the application is about. On desktop and Web applications, this most often manifests itself in awkward and unintuitive user interfaces and key missing functions. The application works but never works quite right, and the end user must jump through hoops to learn, navigate, and get use out of the application. The result of forgetting about the big picture is that the application being developed will lack clarity of purpose.

Because mobile device applications have a more focused usage model and a constrained user interface, a lack of clarity of purpose will be worse for these devices. It is harder and more frustrating for the end user to work around poor design in a mobile device application. An application can become a nightmare to navigate, performance problems quickly become aggravating, and the user is left frustrated. Because their size matches other common handheld devices (watches, phones, Swiss army knives, music players, screwdrivers, and so on), mobile devices leave the user with the impression that they should behave crisply and intuitively. Mobile applications need to be tractable to a user without the need for instructions. Almost everyone has had a confusing experience with a digital watch or remote control with too many or poorly laid-out buttons. Clarity of purpose is important.