Mobility is one major trend in the industry and also a cornerstone of our Wolters Kluwer strategy. People are using more and more tablets and smartphones, also in their daily professional routine. One recent trend in marketing is to exploit the behavior of people using more than one device at the same time (like a TV and a tablet) for addressing new sales channels, e.g. offering products on the tablet, which are complementing the format the user is currently consuming on TV. Translating this trend into our world could solve one major obstacle we currently face in product design.
Have you ever tried reading a book on your smartphone? Are you still carrying a heavy laptop in your rucksack whilst travelling? Are you satisfied with the way a complex faceted search is executed on a tablet?
Different strengths and weaknesses
Different devices have strengths and weaknesses by nature. Currently, we are trying to support as many devices as “equally” with our contents and applications as is possible. This is very cost intensive and leads quite often to suboptimal results, based on the differences already mentioned. It is also not the best solution to create completely new applications and data for each and every device, both from an investment, but also from an information integration and maintenance point of view.
Distinct widgets on different devices
Why not turning the differences of the devices from a “hardly to address restriction” into a natural feature – especially for complex products like JURION?
If people are more and more using different devices simultaneously anyway, why not divide a complex product not only in the same widgets on all devices, but distinct widgets on different devices? If a complex faceted search can currently only be implemented in a convenient way on a laptop, then leave it there; but once the user has chosen a proper document from his search results, immediately synchronize this document in your tablet environment and in case geo information is involved as well, show the respective map on your smartphone.
The basic technology for sharing and synchronization across devices and also operating systems and platforms is available. I saw an impressive prototype at the I-Semantics two weeks ago. So integrated multi-device applications are already possible today!
Maybe mobility is not only a major trend in itself, but also supports another main key factor of our future success – real innovation!