Improving Web Services for the Mobile Society Presented by Jesse Manning Vice President of Business Development, CivicPlus

There are two types of residents in the digital world: Digital Natives Digital Immigrants Natives are characterized by: Quick-to-immediate adoption Ingrained knowledge Lack of distrust / fear Startled by digital immigrants Immigrants are characterized by: Late adoption Difficulty in adapting Skepticism Pioneering attitude / desire Are you a native or an immigrant who is assimilating? Why is the Mobile Web Important?

How do you think about using the Internet? Convenience? Expectation? How do you conduct business on a day-to-day basis? How will your children conduct business on a day-to-day basis? Why is the Mobile Web Important?

Even the most progressive social networking communities have evolved, inviting participation College students High-school students Open community Co-workers Older friends and acquaintances Family

Convenience has become Expectation Video accounts for 69% of mobile data traffic The overlap between mobile users and social web users continues to grow If Skype were a telecommunications carrier, it would be the largest carrier in the world, with 521 million registered users Games are bigger than any other app category — both for the social web and for mobile devices. Real-time technology and location-based services are expected to drive mobile retail Online ad sales are growing, but virtual goods, premium content and other models are big business, especially for the mobile web. The average iPhone user only spends 45% of his on-device time making voice calls.

What is driving mobile adoption? Personal Always carried / always on Built-in payment mechanism Available at the point of “creative inspiration” Allows augmented reality to be used in media Mobile usage has become part of our expected media consumption

Despite drawbacks … Small screen size Difficult multitasking Slower navigation (scroll vs. touch) Full site access is limited Limited presentation (JavaScript, Flash) Speed Message size Cost and access … the Mobile Web is ending the era of “I guess we’ll never know” cost reduction efficiency transformation/modernization of public sector organizations added convenience and flexibility better services to the citizens ability to reach a larger number of people through mobile devices than would be possible using wired internet only Mobile Government is a natural extension of this expectation

Wading into Mobile Government Is your current website mobile-ready? Identify a goal for providing mobile services Full site? Specific content? Interactive features? What do citizens need from mobile government?

Wading into Mobile Government

Creating a Basic Mobile Site First, identify your goal -- Full site? Specific content? Interactive features? Then, identify a service that meets your needs Remember: mobile sites are typically simple, recalling decade-old site-building tools -- Free online resource used to create mobile sites Upgradable to $225/year premium version

Creating a Basic Mobile Site

Google provides a free “mobilizer” tool

What about Interactivity? When identifying your goal, determine what level of service is important and necessary on your site or through a specifically designed mobile app. Information-oriented Communication-orientedSocial-oriented interactivity

What about Interactivity? In general, mobile sites are for information, and mobile apps are for interactivity. For specific functionality, apps make sense $10.9 billion apps downloaded in 2010 Should you charge for apps? The average iPhone user spends $80 on apps Free is typically better for government Revenue-generating opportunities do exist Mobile app development Not terribly difficult for skilled developers Submission and approval process in some cases may slow down process Many companies specialize in app creation Outsourcing may be a cost-effective solution for governments

Recognizing Success Review mobile site statistics through your stat-tracking software Monitor social media connections Monitor app downloads Key Themes for Mobile Site / Application Development Recognize the potential Identify the need and how solutions may help both citizens and government Cost reductions Efficiencies Transparency Determine the scope and goals of the project Research available resources that best suite your needs Implement with cost-effectiveness in mind Monitor results AND Appoint a technology champion to help monitor trends