2. Embrace BYOD
Enterprise control by issuing hardware is all but dead. We’re already in the
Bring Your Own Device era. And we’ll never be going back.
Systems, networks and interfaces all need to work together:
• Secure system design
• Encourage proper use
• Admissability
• Intelligent authorization
• Physical control measures
• Control fallbacks
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3. Ignore Fragmentation
Design for every screen, user, context of use. But don’t overly focus on any
one.
Instead implement with attention to:
• Class-based design
• Build for use cases
• Focus on fallbacks
• Build in layers
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4. Build for a Future of Anything
No longer protected from technology shifts by policy or purchasing.
Have to plan for new technologies like:
• Voice UI
• Pen input
• Gesture
• Sensors & scanners
• Indoor LBS
• VoIP
• Ad Hoc networks
• New form factors
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I tend to be among those who are regularly bucking trends and asking difficult questions. But I am not just the naysayer… …statistics… proven design solutionsAnd every once in a while something sets me off, and proves that what I thought was the right process -- or even my existing understand of what I already do – is missing something.
Secure system design: Multi-user overlays, secure storage. How to do this without OSs designed this way is a challenge. Local storage is almost off the table, for example.Encourage proper use: Mobile-friendly authentication, easy user switching – otherwise people will share passwords, and do other things to get their work done, but which violate policy and risk data breachesAdmissability: A proposed fifth addition to the Authentication/Authorization/Availability/Authenticity security model by Dave Piscitello. Things like private networks, SIM-level credential assignments, and other practices to assure the channel data channel is safe to provide an extra layer or facet of security. Intelligent authorization: Realized that there is no such thing as zero risk. Attach values to data by channel, and allocate currency to accessing individuals. Or… something similar instead of entry = full-access. Physical control measures: Wireline synch, physical key checkout, or other practices to assure the device is present periodically. Price guns at large retailers, radios for police, use custom charge stations. If one is missing, you know it every evening.Control fallbacks: Remote de-auth and wipe have to be enabled. And be quite deep in the OS or they can be circumvented.
Sure, if you /know/ that a huge percentage of your user base is on a specific platform, focus on that. But don’t just build iOS apps because all the designers have iPhones, and you only hired an iOS developer. Make broader plans that meet the real and long-term needs of the customer, the client and your organization.Class-based design – Build for as few devices as possible, and solve with classes (touch, screens over 640 px, etc. But instead of a hardware focus……Build for use cases –Tablet pc’s are just as tablety as an iPad. They are used much the same way, so demand interfaces and interactions that work for similar contexts and use cases, not differentiated by device type.Build fallbacks – E.g. web (multi-platform) so that when a surprising device or OS emerges, it can be used to some degree without delay, and customized easily and rapidly.Build in layers – E.g. HTML5 as presentation layer for all interfaces, software can be custom, changes are easy, responsive design can be easily baked in. I don’t fully track those complaining there are multiple flavors of HTML 5 (compliance), as I mean that the apps have a single, custom browser. This has been around for years without the HTML5 advantages, and hacking offline storage, etc.
If there is anything I have learned about predicting the future, it’s that it’s unpredictable. As much as I liked tablets, and saw mid-sized (5-7”) slates as interesting, I never saw the tablet market take off. OTOH, why has mobile-NFC taken so long to get traction? It works fine in smartcards, and has been demonstrated very well for Applying good design principles will set you up for success on any new technology or feature demand. From accessibility to voice UI, building a good foundation, will make it easier (sometimes, almost automatic) to work with these.And we need to be ready for anything. Including failures. Siri made voice UI all the rage… just like Facetime made videocalling back in the news. That didn’t take off. Good foundations also mean you don’t spend too much time and effort on new custom add ons, so it’s okay if they don’t get traction.