On Mobile Context
From Vice magazine’s interview with University of California at San Diego professor Ricardo Dominguez and his Transborder Immigrant Tool.
We looked at the Motorola i455 cell phone, which is under $30, available even cheaper on eBay, and includes a free GPS applet. We were able to crack it and create a simple compasslike navigation system. We were also able to add other information, like where to find water left by the Border Angels, where to find Quaker help centers that will wrap your feet, how far you are from the highway — things to make the application really benefit individuals who are crossing the border.
Here we have:
- A relatively cheap phone with a GPS application, accessible to its target audience: (comparatively) poor Mexican migrants.
- Relevant information for someone trying to cross a desert.
- Portability and ubiquity. It fits in the pocket
That’s context. When developing mobile applications, we should ask:
- What do people need to know?
- What kind of device can they afford?
- What are the technical limitation of that device (physical size, screen size, input capability, battery life, available memory)?
- How can we build an application that works well on such a device?
A two-part question for Dominguez: how’s the battery life on the phone and how does this application affect it? Getting stuck in the desert with no phone would suck rocks.
[Via PSFK]