id: 1611,1A
title: Mobile devices have many constraints to address.
date: 2022-11-06

Mobile devices have many constraints to address.

• Device variety: Many devices with many specific operating systems and browser varieties make it difficult to survey implementations across a representative population.
• Small screen sizes: Much more constrained than tablet or desktop, buy without any standard sizes.
• Hardware limitations: Mobile devices need smaller and less power-hungry components, so CPU, GPU, and RAM are all much less powerful than desktops. Furthermore, there is a large gap between manufacturers and pricing tiers.
• Networking: Cellular networks are slower and less reliable than LAN, and even wifi isn’t universally great. Cellular coverage is also subject to wealth disparities in and across regions.
• Interaction fidelity: Elements are physically smaller on mobile and input has less precision (finger versus mouse cursor). Interactions like hover do not exist.
• Power use: Being battery-powered, the power consumption of software matters a great deal to end users.
• Modality: Users can only use one application at a time easily. Context switches are absolute and thought processes can get lost in transition.
• Distraction: Mobile devices constitute a primary vehicle for distraction for users, both on and off of device-bound contexts.