Since their introduction in 2010, tablets have taken the mobile industry by storm, with sales expected to reach 120 million in 2012 alone. Whether novelty or need, tablets are clearly a big and growing part of the mobile device landscape that won’t be going away any time soon. Which begs the question: Now that these shiny new gadgets are finding their way into the world, how are people actually using them? In this talk, Rachel Hinman will share findings from her year-long study of tablet usage as well as provide design implications for designing tablet experiences. She will cover:
Comfortable Computing: How users are seeking experiences that provide a sense of comfort and connection through tablet devices and how designers can better support these needs.
Mutual Reconfiguration: The impact environments and social contexts have on tablet usage and how to account for the dynamic nature of the mobile context when designing tablet experiences.
New Forms of Creation: Collage, curate and animate. How tablet devices are redefining what it means to create in the digital world.
Rachel Hinman is a researcher, designer and a recognized thought leader in the mobile user experience field. Her passions for cultural study, art, and design coupled with the belief that people can use technology to improve the human condition have been the driving forces in her career.
Currently, Rachel is a Senior Research Scientist at the Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto, California. There she focuses on the research and design of emergent and experimental mobile interfaces and mobile experiences for emerging markets. Prior to joining Nokia, Rachel was an experience design director at Adaptive Path, and a mobile researcher and strategist for Yahoo's mobile group. Rachel's innate sensitivity to people and culture have proven powerful skills in the field, enabling her to successfully lead research studies on mobile phone usage in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Rachel writes and speaks frequently on the topic of mobile research and design. She is the creative force behind the 90 Mobiles in 90 Days Project and her perspectives on mobile user experience has been featured in Interactions Magazine, BusinessWeek and Wired. She recently wrote a book entitled The Mobile Frontier: A Guide to Creating Mobile User Experience with Rosenfeld Media.
Rachel received a Masters Degree in Design Planning from the Institute of Design in Chicago.
