Genres Hamper Mobile Internet
A Reuters article made the rounds 10 days ago -- "Web pioneer: Design hampers mobile internet." In it, Tim Berners-Lee decries, "Everyone was supposed to be browsing the Web with their mobile phone, but the problem is that it has not happened."
Document genres are about how form and content come together to address a purpose. In doing so, the rely on our expectations for how that genres is designed in order to facilitate its use. When I open the envelope with my credit card bill, I don't expect a comma-delimited list of purchases in alphabetical order. I expect a tabular list of purchases, in date order. I expect that the first page will summarize my purchases for the period, and provide a space for me to write in how much I plan to pay.
As credit card bills move to the Web, it's important to recognize that, while serving a similar purpose, and having similar content, the fact that it is on the Web means it's a materially different (though related) genre. I bring different expectations to how I utilize a credit card bill on the web, such as: you don't flip through pages finding certain information, you utilize links which allow access to information chunks; the ability to call up payment history from before the period in question; etc.
In the same way that paper-based document genres evolve when they're brought to the web, digital document genres rely on the various devices within which they're viewed. And you can't just take any web page, and expect it to work within any device (remember WAP?).
So, I've started thinking about understanding what genres work best in what devices, and why. It begins by thinking about content-related attributes of different devices.(via peterme.com)
Document genres are about how form and content come together to address a purpose. In doing so, the rely on our expectations for how that genres is designed in order to facilitate its use. When I open the envelope with my credit card bill, I don't expect a comma-delimited list of purchases in alphabetical order. I expect a tabular list of purchases, in date order. I expect that the first page will summarize my purchases for the period, and provide a space for me to write in how much I plan to pay.
As credit card bills move to the Web, it's important to recognize that, while serving a similar purpose, and having similar content, the fact that it is on the Web means it's a materially different (though related) genre. I bring different expectations to how I utilize a credit card bill on the web, such as: you don't flip through pages finding certain information, you utilize links which allow access to information chunks; the ability to call up payment history from before the period in question; etc.
In the same way that paper-based document genres evolve when they're brought to the web, digital document genres rely on the various devices within which they're viewed. And you can't just take any web page, and expect it to work within any device (remember WAP?).
So, I've started thinking about understanding what genres work best in what devices, and why. It begins by thinking about content-related attributes of different devices.(via peterme.com)
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