Smartphones vs. tablets: How to avoid the “mobile” mousetrap.

Often marketers are guilty of lumping smartphones and tablets into one catch-all category called “mobile.” Although I’m sure it’s mostly out of convenience and commonality, it’s also a critical mistake. Smartphones and tablets can be used for similar activities (and as you’ll see below, often are), but they are distinctly different devices and therefore should be treated as different experiences—and we’ve created the infographics to prove it.

It’s important to keep in mind that we’ve used the best data we could find to make the best possible comparison—but it’s not perfect by any means. First, the data is from various sources (see sources at the bottom of the post)—so it’s not apples to apples. Second, since it’s not apples to apples, we did the best we could to maintain the integrity and intent of the data. Third, what users say they do and what they actually do are often two different things. With that in mind, let us make a few observations/inferences based on the data.

Looking at the two infographics below, you can see that in many ways smartphones and tablets are often used to perform similar tasks (with some obvious differences being texting, taking photos and navigating—activities most would consider more suited to a smartphone). In fact, I’m surprised that the numbers for the most common tasks are as close as they are. Because the activities are so similar, it’s easy and convenient for marketers to fold smartphone and tablet strategies into a single mobile strategy—don’t take the bait. Just because people use smartphones and tablets in a similar manner or for a similar purpose, doesn’t mean that their expectations are similar—far from it, and we’ll see why a little later.

Now, take a look at the next infographic showing where smartphones are used. As you might imagine smartphones are truly mobile—they’re used at home, at work and on-the-the-go—everywhere, really. In contrast, tablets are much more stationary. Used mostly at home and only occasionally on-the-go and at work, tablets don’t travel much. So while smartphones and tablets may be used for the same activities, they are used in different locations. Therefore, users likely have very different expectations for each device and marketers would be wise to take note.

So how do user expectations differ from smartphone to tablet? In our experience, tablet users want an experience that, while it’s optimized for touch, is more akin to a more full-featured desktop experience than what we’ve come to call a “mobile experience.” Tablets feature larger screens and therefore generally allow for the presentation of deeper, more detailed content. On the other hand, smartphone users appreciate a more simplified, streamlined experience that is actionable—providing quick access to anything that allows (or supports) the user in taking immediate action. Whether information, directions, phone numbers, business hours, service contacts or product demos, users want access to the most vital information that allows them to the critical next step.

We’ll go into more detail on the differences in design approach in a future blog post. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll alert you.

To paste these infographics, use the following code:

<a title="View the original infographic and article at SyncCreative.com" href="http://dev-bak.synccreative.com/?p=1969"><img title="Mobile MouseTrap Infographic by Sync Creative" src="http://dev-bak.synccreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Mobile-MouseTrap-14.png" alt="Mobile MouseTrap Infographic by Sync Creative" width="690" height="690" /></a>

<a title="View the original infographic and article at SyncCreative.com" href="http://dev-bak.synccreative.com/?p=1969"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2161" title="Mobile-MouseTrap-2" src="http://dev-bak.synccreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Mobile-MouseTrap-21.png" alt="" width="690" height="690" /></a>

Sources:
The Mobile Movement Study, Google/Ipsos OTX MediaCT, Apr 2011
AdMob Tablet Survey, AdMob by Google, March 2011