My day on mobile

For the last two days, I have been at offsite away from my desk.  It's times like that when I realize how much more I have become dependent on mobile phone.  Now I have been so used to getting access to information on my fingertip, it is to the point where I cannot imagine walking around without my iPhone.  It almost feels like when I first started to realize computer is useless unless it's connected to Internet.

Connected devices are allowing me to respond to requests at any time.  It also keeps me online so that anyone can reach me at any time.

Let me share the several use cases of my iPhone just today:

California makes good on its mobile privacy warning

California sued Delta Airline for not displaying privacy policy on its mobile app.  Delta had 30 days to act, and  according to California Attorney General Kamala Harris they failed to act within the deadline.

When the first warning was issued against Delta, United, and Opentable mobile apps back in end of October, I looked at their iPhone apps.  Back then, none of them had the privacy notice pointer from the App Store.

When I checked the Delta app (Fly Delta) today, they fixed the privacy link on their app listing page.  No more broken link.  It was pointing to its online privacy policy page.

So I decided to download Fly Delta app and found out what triggered the lawsuit.

When push notification becomes spam

Push notification is a useful tool.  It allows user to find out about a quick update in real-time without unlocking iPhone.  Because of its invasive nature, it can be really annoying to the recipients.  It's especially true when the user receives an alert that he finds no value.  That's when push notification becomes spam.

Check out following examples of spammy push notification tactic.

Since Obama is in your town, it's your opportunity to join our spamming campaign.
Source: http://artofthecta.com/post/25868116326/brand-get-it-now-location-push

Surely the list of features will excite the users...
Source: http://blog.anylistapp.com/2012/11/push-notifications/

Complete with two call to actions!
Source: https://plus.google.com/111764607121160780649/posts/eorDTvuJN5K

Problem with these push notifications is that there is no easy way for user to opt out.  When was the last time you saw a spammy message from your own software without a clear option to opt out at the bottom of the email?

Apple has two choices.  Either they have to clean up abusive tactic to send spammy push notifications, or allow user to opt out and report the spam generators.

There is a lesson for product managers as well.  Don't make the app annoying to users.  Remember that life went on fine without the app.  Given enough annoyance users will replace it with another app or uninstall it all together.

Website to Application: Appification

Last year I started to hear about discussion of launching mobile application first before launching website.  Remember $1 billion acquisition of Instagram?  If you happen to be one of shrinking minorities who do not have smartphone or iPad and google Instagram to use it, you are out of luck.  Because they do not have website where you can use the service.  Instagram is all on mobile.

Now I see this more and more.  Application is replacing website.  What used to be dynamically updated real-time content feed (aka Web 2.0) is now getting replaced by applications.

If you don't have mobile app, you don't have mobile content.
Think of mobile app as a bookmark to your service.

There are three trends driving appification of web:

Girls Around Me: following in real life is called stalking

A new app Girls Around Me does one thing.  It alerts you women who are near you by combining Facebook and Foursquare check-in data and lay them on top of Google Maps.  It lets you know their name, photos and you can send them messages according to The Daily Mail.  Fortunately folks at Foursquare and Apple took a notice, and pulled the Foursquare API access and took the app down from iTunes.

Girls Around Me is a socially awkward Google Latitude
with Foursquare and Facebook integration

It's interesting to see how people have been reacting to this socially awkward app.  The app is not much different from recent SXSW darling Highlight.  Just like Highlight, you get to discover people around you.  One difference is that Highlight alerts you of people you might share something in common while Girls Around Me alerts any woman who might be around you.  Technically both provide similar functions.  But most people will agree that one sounds interesting and the other creepy. Why?

It's because of privacy.  Idea of revealing information about where you are to strangers without your knowing is a very unsettling one.  It is especially true when subscriber to my information is someone who intends to follow me in real life.  Subscriber knows who I am, but I do not.  This is uneven playing field sure to create some fear on part of being followed.