Going Native: The Anthropology of Mobile App Design

Think of mobile OS platforms as cultures. Deciding which platform to target and how to design for each—whether web or native—doesn't hinge only on tech specs or audience reach. In an era where consumers suddenly perceive mobile apps as richly personal, where software is content instead of tool—culture matters.

Every mobile OS has a different personality, design sensibility, and even government. All of these factors determine how well your individual app (and its audience) will thrive, and will have a direct impact on design considerations. For example, how does the prescribed design and paternal culture of iPhone's philosopher-king model fit your app, compared to the frontier-maker culture and bare-bones geek design of Android? And where does the web fit in? In the next year alone, we'll have ten major mobile operating systems to contend with as we design apps. In this session, you’ll discover the cultural and practical considerations of choosing the right platform for your app and your audience—and of crafting a design that works for all.