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Enoch James
Mobile Strategy Consultant
Enoch James
A P R O CE SS. A N A R T.
ASKING QUESTIONS
The start of any project begins with questions. Lots of questions. With a wide-eyed perspective,
the goal at the beginning of the project is to discover all of the key factors guiding and
influencing the project. The more clarity and parameters that are set early in the process, the
more quickly a solution can be reached - avoiding unnecessary exploration down wrong paths.
Asking questions is equally analytical and creative. Certainly we must discover the facts and
factors which are known, but from each of these we must also make extrapolations and
continue to dig into related paths and questions.
Clients will rarely be forthright and clear at a level of depth that allows us to offer real value
and insightsrelying on this shallow information will severely limit out ability to lead and
innovate. Our imperative is to dig, dig deeper, and finally dig a little deeper still.
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PRIMARY USERS:
Parents of children with Type I Diabetes.
Parents with a technology-friendly attitude. Parents with an active online social network.
iOS (iPhone) users 80% / Android users (20%) Middle to upper class.
SECONDARY USERS:
Children & young adults ages 8-20 with Type I Diabetes. Young adults with an active online
social network.
Young adults involved in their self-care of Diabetes.
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RESEARCH
After gathering as much information as possible from direct interaction with the client, the
next step for the Strategist is research. While some initial research may have been done prior to
engaging with the client. now is the time to dig deeper and more specifically.
THE CLIENT
Based on the clients own presentation and answers to our questions about the Problem/
Solution and Goal for the project, now is the time to understand the context of these goals and
intents. How does the project relate to the company at large and/or the team within the
company? How is this mobile initiative positioned within the company - is it an experiment or
a new direction? Has the company made other inroads into mobile outside this project? How
does the company promote its other existing projects? How is the company perceived in the
mobile and social spaces? Understanding the context of the company and project will provide
key insights into opportunities (and concerns) which can influence the strategic
recommendations.
THE INDUSTRY
The client has most likely shared their own perspective of their industry, but its important to
take another perspective and research the industry ourselves. The goal is to best understand
other activity in the same industry related to mobile initiatives and projects. Have other
companies in the same industry entered this market? Are there trends in the industry that lend
themselves to mobile? Who is the gold-standard for quality and experience in the industry?
Additionally, it is important to be able to understand and ideally use industry-specific
terminology.
The more research we do into the industry, the more comfortable we can be in discussions
with the client.
Enoch James
THE AUDIENCE
With a good understanding of who and where in the market the client is targeting, it is
necessary to also dig deeper into learning about this specific target audience. For this, nothing
can be better than actually speaking with real potential users. Discussing the potential
functions and features can start a conversation that may uncover unknown wants or needs that
are new to us and the client. Short of discussing with actual potential users, exploring the
current options which potential users have can shine a light on the existing solutions.
TECHNOLOGY
A few different angles should be considered when researching the technology relevant to the
project:
MOBILE PLATFORMS
device hardware - relevant functions/limitations by device
device software - relevant functions/limitations by device
Next-generation expectations / rumors
INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY
Database integration - existing or to be built
3rd party APIs or integrations to be implemented
Hardware components involved (stylus, bluetooth device, etc.)
CLOUD TECHNOLOGY
Web services - existing structures and formats
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Much of this research is ongoing by any Strategist who is expected to be aware of and familiar
with all areas of mobile technology. For a particular project, the research would focus in and
identify the details of the relevant technology on which only general knowledge my otherwise
have been available.
TRENDS
Most markets or product categories will have a history or previous products and innovations
which can suggest a trend which can be identified. Trends may suggest that Apps are getting
more simple or more complex, that the solutions are more customizable or that the experience
is more social (tied to Twitter or Facebook) or integrated with new platforms and technologies
(iCloud, Dropbox, etc.) Our goal is to understand the previous solutions and iterations that
have set the bar for the current users and look ahead to where these trends can guide the new
solution.
VERIFY ASSUMPTIONS
Lastly, as part of our research we must do everything we can to verify the validity and
applicability of assumptions made by the client. Confirming these is the goal, but sometimes
they can be shown to be unsubstantiated and more of a guess than anything. In these
situations, there role of the Strategist is to correct these assumptions and present a more
accurate definition of the accepted framework for the project.
INSIGHTS
With all of our questions answered and research performed (and likely during both of these
phases) the focus of the Strategist settles on reaching insight into where this project can be
improved, aimed in the right direction and ideally elevated to a new level of value. This is the
magic of Strategy and often difficult to align into a logic or plan. Insights are derived from
clearly understanding the full scope of the project, understanding the full context of the
industry, market and users, and ultimately finding a missing link that can be an opportunity
unseen to the others involved.
Enoch James
Insights cannot be forced or calculated. They are the byproduct of an astute eye trained to spot
relationships and make connections not on the surface. To best create an environment for
reaching these insights, some of the following approaches may encourage the discovery.
BECOMING A USER
Foreveryprojectitisimportanttounderstandtheultimateenduserasbestasispossible. For a
Strategist, this means taking on the persona of the user and imagining the process of using the
app in real life. Where is she when she uses it? What other activities might she be doing at the
same time? What is the most important feature she will expect? The better a Strategist can put
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themselves in the minds and situations of real users, the more likely we are to uncover insights
into the potential and priorities of the project.
CONSIDER PRECEDENT
For almost every project there is likely a precedent in the market. Most ideas evolve from preexisting concepts and apps which must be studied and understood. The goal of the Strategist
is to make sure that the new project improves upon these precedents and takes a step forward
for the users. Precedent can also influence what may be considered conventional use - ways
users have been trained and conditioned to perform a task. Where these methods are positive
and good, new solutions may not be needed. Other methods may be conventional but still not
perfectly appropriate for mobile or tablets or on-the-go use. For these, a high value can be
given to a new, improved method replacing an older convention.
LOOK FORWARD
Good insights are almost always the product of seeing a path toward a new solution not yet
considered. These paths to the future are the currency of good insights. Studying mobile
trends and continuously reading about new mobile technology can give a strong foundation
to forward thinking. As a Strategist, our role is to educate our clients about what is ahead for
mobile and how their project can be best positioned in this future-oriented perspective. Keep
in mind, the mobile industry is changing so rapidly that from the time a project is started and
when it is released a few months later, the industry has evolved already and the view at the
beginning of the project may be out of date!
TRUSTING INTUITION
Above all else, a good Strategist is confident in his or her own intuitive perspectives on
technology and mobile in particular. Its quite possible that a Strategist can have a gut feeling
about a path to take or an opportunity that is not clear based on any known data. This intuition
is actually the result of a subconscious connecting of the dots, reading between the lines,
forward looking methodology that although not formal is equally as powerful. Trust yourself.
Enoch James
DEFINE SUCCESS
In our own words we must be able to easily define what will determine whether the projects is
deemed a success or not. This is important as it may have changed form the original
perspective.
Where before it may have been reaching 1,000,000 downloads, it may be now that that success
would come from 100,000 monthly average users for example.
Enoch James
IDENTIFY RISKS
Lastly, a number of concerns and risks will often be discovered during the research and study
of the project. All of these should be listed and brought to the attention of the client during
the presentation.
PRESENTATION
The deliverables for Strategy consulting typically include a formal presentation of the findings
and recommendations. This will typically take the form of a hard document Recommendations
Report (PDF) and potentially a slide deck to cover the key points of the report in person.
PRESENT CONCLUSIONS
The core of the presentation revolves around the conclusions draw from the questions,
research and insights. This is the product of our Strategy and should be highlighted for its
importance. This content is typically recommended changes to the project, either providing a
more specific direction or in some cases and bigger change in direction all together. These
conclusions and recommendations are present from the voice of an expert and can be
supported as required with the work done to reach these.
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BE BOLD
Soft, subtle changes will not make much impact on the project or build much confidence.
Wherever possible strive to paint a larger picture with broad, bold strokes. This is a natural
extension of any Strategist who believes in his or her ideas.
FEEDBACK
NEW LEARNINGS
The next phase focuses on garnering feedback on the conclusions and recommendations.
Where we may have made assumptions, feedback will clarify these points. Where we challenge
the clients ideas and scope we will likely learn better these true limits. Our role as Strategist
was to push the limits in areas and we will undoubtedly find new thresholds we (and the
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client) may not have known about before. All of this is a helpful step in the process and should
be embraced positively.
MORE QUESTIONS
Equal to the new learnings we can expect to raise more questions. This spontaneous reaction
and back-and-forth process creates a learning loop that ultimately adds precision and
confidence to those insights and recommendations that pass thru this filtering process.
LEADERSHIP
A Strategist is positioned as an expert in his or her field and must continually practice aspects
of leadership which uphold that stature.
EXPERTISE
Expertise is earned thru emersion and dedication to continual study of any subject. As a mobile
Strategist, the commitment must be made to constant attention and focus on all that is
happening
within this branch of technology. This broad knowledge and scope of information will offer a
strong foundation for the insights and recommendations.
SELF CONFIDENCE
Leadership of any kind relies heavily on a self-belief that makes it clear to those we are working
with just how sure we are of what we are saying. Confidence can only come from an honest
depth of knowledge and experience .
Enoch James
HUMILITY
It is equally important to understand our own limits of knowledge and never stretch that
beyond truth. It is far more respectable to admit those things we do not know than to pretend
otherwise.
With humility, we add to the confidence others will find in the things we do purport to know.
Humility also adds a layer of humanity to the position of a Strategist, in important part of
building the right relationship with clients.
CONTEXT
Strategy is one of the pieces in the larger picture. At all times, the Strategist should understand
and keep in mind this context to the greater project and know where to find the balance of
recommendations and ideas that could potentially derail or otherwise turn a project in an
unexpected direction. The intent is to successfully move the project forward toward realizing
the greater goal and a Strategist must always be mindful of this greater perspective.
THE END