Mobile has become a key ingredient in the integration of business and technology. If designed and delivered effectively, it provides unparalleled convenience, speed, and ease of use. However, having the right mobile mindset is a prerequisite if you’re going to drive growth and profitability through the use of mobile solutions.
In its simplest and purest form, I define it this way:
Mobile mindset is the framework that enables organizations of all sizes to deliver the power of mobile through innovation and without disruption to the business.
Regardless of the size or the scope of the mobile engagement, a mobile mindset applies to all facets of user interactions and must be embraced by everyone involved, from developers to leadership.
Mobile Mindset Starts with Mobile Thinking
This mobile mindset starts with mobile thinking. When you “think mobile design,” you deliver integrated mobile solutions wherein each part completes the mobile user experience as a whole. You want to avoid building fragmented pieces that make up a mobile stack or reflect outdated PC-era design practices.
What you design and how you design will directly guide and influence your success. Mobile design demands that you clearly understand and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the mobile technology before you write a single line of code.
Mobile Mindset Demands Mobile Purpose
Understanding your mobile purpose is critical for success because your objectives need to be linked directly to your business strategy when it comes to technology projects (and mobile is no different). You need to make sure that everything you do with mobile technology contributes to your overall business goals. That starts with confirming the link to strategy before you plan for anything else.
Mobile Mindset Must Focus on Mobile Value
Many times, the success of mobile projects boils down to a simple question: What is the business value for mobile? For example, partially duplicating a PC-based access on a mobile device may not deliver the greatest value.
Furthermore, ability to access snapshots of data on a mobile device may provide limited value if, for example, navigation is clumsy and the search function is limited. Conversely, alerts that result in actionable insight, which would otherwise require PC-based access, live up to the true business value of mobile.
Mobile Mindset Makes Customer a Focal Point of Execution
A mobile mindset demands that the customer (your users) become the focal point of your execution. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t take into account many attributes that will be unique to each of the environments you operate in and may result in shortsighted decisions.
You need to make every effort to take a holistic approach when dealing with the user experience, such as the communication, delivery, or support infrastructures.
Mobile Mindset Needs the Right Leadership
A mobile mindset can’t go far without the right leadership in place. The success of your mobile journey depends on that support more than any other piece. However, having leadership only on paper isn’t enough.
You need business leaders who champion the mobile cause and who become ardent mobile users. As your most active consumers of the mobile solution, these leaders will have the most direct impact on the success of mobile initiatives. Their wholehearted adoption demonstrates firsthand the mobile mindset that sets an example for the rest of the organization to follow.
Mobile Mindset Equals Passion for Mobile
More than anything, a mobile mindset requires a passion for mobile despite the challenges you face or the resources available to you. When you consider talent for mobile engagements, you need to look beyond just their technical skills. There are best practices that can be applied.
But in many cases, your teams may be forced to solve unique business problems that can’t be addressed using standard solutions. Hence, technical know-how alone will guarantee neither a successful outcome nor adoption of your mobile solutions. It’s your mobile team’s talent, ingenuity, and dedication that will make a difference.
What other characteristics do you believe contribute to a mobile mindset?
For more on mobile and mobile BI, read my other blogs.
By Kaan Turnali, from: http://www.the-decisionfactor.com/business-intelligence/do-you-have-the-right-mobile-mindset/
As Global Senior Director, Business Intelligence (BI), for SAP’s Global Customer Operations (GCO) Reporting & Analytics Platform, Kaan Turnali is responsible for the development, oversight, and execution of strategy for the BI platform across GCO’s worldwide user base. In addition, he manages special mobile BI projects for the Office of co-CEO Bill McDermott and the GCO senior management team. Prior to joining SAP in 2006, he worked as a senior BI consultant specializing in strategy, design, and development of enterprise BI solutions for SMEs and Fortune 500 companies. His background and experience in the integration of business and technology span over two decades. He is also an adjunct professor, teaching BI in the doctor of business administration program at Wilmington University. See Kaan’s articles on EPM Channel here.