Deliver a Frictionless Experience Across Devices

How many people can you name with only one computerized device in 2020?

Unless one of your friends finally gave up and moved to a bunker underground, that number is probably zero. Between smartphones and personal laptops, most people own at least two types of digitally capable devices. 

But most people own many more “smart” devices. Think about it: 

• You might own a work phone and a home phone. 
• You might have a home laptop and a home desktop. 
• You probably have a work computer along with your home computer. 
• You likely own some kind of iPad or tablet for your family, which is more portable.
• At one point, everyone had some kind of wearable device--from a smartwatch to a FitBit.
• Often, your device starts to feel dated and you acquire a new version without actually trading in the former one--which leaves you with two or more phones, laptops, etc.
• Plus, technology is getting so “smart” that many everyday appliances are now considered computers, from our fridges to our TVs.

These are all valid reasons that a completely average individual without excess means might wind up acquiring 3 or 4 computerized devices of their own, over a number of years. This means that today’s user expects a frictionless experience when they use the same programs and applications across a number of different devices.

That’s true even if they’re entirely different brands, models, operating systems--and even entirely separate kinds of devices, from an office desktop to a personal smartwatch. And successful developers will deliver that frictionless experience to them.

What does a “frictionless experience” mean?

A frictionless experience means that a user can switch between devices without a significant change in how they interact with a program. 

For example, they should not have a higher-quality experience with your software on a Mac than they would on a PC. Plus, the experience itself shouldn’t be dramatically different. If they’re used to finding the “LogIn” button on the upper right-hand side when they’re on their laptop, it shouldn’t be centered at the bottom when they’re on the mobile app. Consistency is key--the same way you expect your burger to come out the same at a fast-food franchise no matter which location you visit, anywhere in the country (or even around the world).

That’s especially true if a user has several devices and uses each of them pretty frequently. They will want to swap between devices and continue to engage with your software easily, without interruption or confusion. This delivers the best user experience and will influence long-term loyalty with your product.

These days, many users even expert their devices to sync. Apple has mastered the ability to have its own programs and apps sync, so that you can receive a new message on your watch, answer it on your phone on the way to the office, and then continue it effortlessly throughout the day from your desktop or laptop, because all of those devices would be live-synced with updates to your conversation. 

Google is also great at allowing users to log in and sync their accounts, so that they can have any piece of hardware in their hands and use it as if it were their own. This mastery is what modern users expect, and the more your product accommodates it, the further it’s likely to go in the eyes of your consumers and investors.

One way to deliver upon these high expectations is to test your software with Eyece. This app-testing platform allows you to connect with real users around the world, each with their own set of real devices. You can create custom groups of diverse user types with mixed device types, which means that your results from app-testing will represent a wide variety of experiences. Then, when you modify your software according to your test results, you can be sure that it will complement all of those devices. 

Deliver frictionless experiences, across devices, by app-testing and user-testing with Eyece.

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