MSearchGroove

The good news is mobile users are ready to surf the Web. The bad new is usability is so poor most users give up. This is the key finding of a survey of 1,000 students from five U.K. universities following a series of extensive use trials conducted by InfoGin, a provider of content adaptation solutions. Prior to the trials, two-thirds of respondents found surfing the Web on their phones so frustrating they gave up trying. During the trial period, students were asked to surf the Web twice - once using InfoGin’s technology and once without. As a result, 69 percent of users reported surfing the Web on their mobile phones was useable or enjoyable when accessed through InfoGin. Vendor pitch aside, the study underlines the importance of good usability and explains why a disappointing percentage of users surf the Web let alone use mobile search. Students are traditionally early-adopters and if they are turned off by surfing on their mobiles, then alarm bells should go off in boardrooms everywhere.

Another surprise: users value better mobile surfing. Indeed, the survey found that “a large proportion [of students] agreed that they would be happy to pay a monthly fee of receive advertising in return for an improved service” And where would students go if they could surf as they liked? Two in three students said mobile access to research and university websites was critical. Social communities, current affairs and download sites were also considered important.

• Posted in
• Mobile Search, Mobile Content, Mobile Advertising

0 comments

share

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

permalink