Advising on the commercial impact of technology and
    market changes in telecoms, software and IT services

MobileUserExperience@Ovum

Mobile data services are facing a crisis. Despite considerable investments from software vendors, mobile operators, service providers and content owners, few new-wave services are living up to their hype - or emulating the ongoing success of text messaging. The reason? Few offer consumers a compelling mobile user experience.

Mobile user experiences emerge from a combination of service design, technology components and industry cooperation. However, these components are rarely considered holistically. Ovum explains developments in mobile products and services within this broad context, applying the lessons from mobile user experience research in a practical context.

Technology, and especially software, forms the bedrock of mobile products and the foundation of the mobile user experience. Yet mobile services often fail to maximise their potential. Many address too few devices, replicate server-side processes or fail to deliver on basic user experience criteria such as usability, relevance and performance. Ovum offers guidance to technology providers to help them align products with real-world problems.

Nonetheless, mobile products and services should not simply answer the needs of technologists and marketing departments. The best mobile user experiences require dialogue across the complete value chain - and increasingly beyond, into the realms of broadband services and the Internet. Ovum is uniquely positioned to break down these barriers and to help all participants capitalise on their investment.

MobileUserExperience@Ovum is concerned with the impact of new software technologies on the design, management and delivery of user-friendly and attractive services. It shines a spotlight on the vendors that claim to make these experiences a reality.

MobileUserExperience@Ovum

This advisory service is the ideal tool for software vendors, handset manufacturers and services companies whose particular interest is in creating compelling mobile data experiences for users with technology. Buyers of these technologies, such as mobile operators, media companies and content intermediaries, will also benefit from our holistic understanding of the user experience ecosystem.

Companies of different sizes, backgrounds and strengths will find value through our expert advice and sound analysis.

MobileUserExperience@Ovum covers the following areas:

• Application environments and handset platforms
  MobileUserExperience@Ovum monitors the prospects of established technologies such as Symbian, S60, Windows Mobile, Java and BREW. But we also emphasise the impact of new application paradigms that affect mobile users. These include developments such as Web 2.0, Ajax and native Linux development, as well as other emerging client and client/server technologies. These are the target environments through which users experience mobile services and to which all suppliers must adapt their development efforts.
• Device management
  Mobile device management is a key factor in improving the user experience and is already of major interest to operators, ISVs and OEMs alike. As many more deployments go live and become more advanced, we will be first to place these developments in context and to map out new applications and service opportunities built on the foundations of MDM.
• Mobile service discovery
  Google may be the big beast in Internet search, but accessing services that are appropriate to a user's mobile device and their own preferences is not as straightforward as simply typing a few words into a search box. Mobile user management covers a plethora of opportunities that suppliers are looking to exploit - among them mobile search and discovery tools, on-device portals, UI customisation, content personalisation, advertising and marketing.
• Content lifecycle management
  Attractive content lies at the heart of the mobile user experience, yet this is an area of considerable confusion. Suppliers approach the problem from different angles but rarely with a complete view of what is required. We explain how these components fit together, where the supplier opportunities lie and who is best positioned to exploit them.
• Emerging convergent opportunities
  Most of the software foundations on which next-generation mobile data services are built have analogues in the broadband world, such as device management, content lifecycle management and new client technologies. We understand the synergies, opportunities and challenges that arise as suppliers from one side of the divide are seeking opportunities on the other, as service providers begin to converge their operations.

Analyst Interaction

Access to Ovum's experts is an integral part of the MobileUserExperience@Ovum advisory service. We can help you meet your specific business requirements with the following types of analyst interaction:

1) Unlimited Enquiry Time

For specific questions relating to the research in MobileUserExperience@Ovum, we can put you in direct contact with the relevant expert for a full explanation.

2) Analyst Engagements

There is often no substitute for face-to-face interaction and Ovum's expertise is no exception. Having a senior Ovum expert provide the independent 'front-line' perspective can be a powerful and challenging addition to any internal meeting or event. Ovum's senior independent experts are not only specialists in their field, but also well versed in presenting, moderating and chairing events.

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