Understanding context: mobile application development

What is the trigger to use your application ?

What factor would make the user come back to your application. Is it a user need or is there a need for an external trigger for this? what would be most appropriate way to communicate to the user in that case ? Care has to be taken in case you want to use external triggers like notifications and popup dialogs to not have a negative effect by annoying the user.

How are they holding the device when using your application?

This is one question to which most developers go with an assumption and not really bother to take feedback from users. And at times this one single incorrect assumption can lead to a lot much rework in the later stage. Developers and designers have to ask questions like “what device orientation ( portrait or landscape ) will be used in application ? “, “will the user be using both hands or single hand ?”, “will the user be holding the device at all when using the application?”, “ do u need to present a different interface when the application is run when the device is docked eg car dock ?”

A lot of developers do have answers to most of questions when they start development but the important question is “ does everyone in the team have the same answers to these questions ?” It is important from a schedule and time to market perspective that these questions be answered as much as possible upfront. These are not very difficult questions to answer and hence a workshop on this before the development starts might be a good way to work around this. It also provides a clearer picture to the development and design team about the non functional requirements that they have to consider while working.