m3

Location-based services at a glance

Site Genre: Pattern Group m

magnify imageFigure M3.1 Emerging location based services on phones provide a simple but compelling value proposition:find where you want to go, and never get lost again. These screen shots are from an NTT DoCoMo service in Japan that lets customers search for nearby businesses and restaurants and see maps showing how to get there.

Background

Location-based services are an emerging class of applications that let you create PERSONALIZED CONTENT (D4) based on a visitor’s current physical location. Location-based services let you customize the customer experience for STIMULATING ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT (A9) sites, emphasize nearby places for ORGANIZED SEARCH RESULTS (J3), and enable new ways of doing PERSONAL E-COMMERCE (A1).

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PROBLEM

What kinds of compelling location-based services are emerging, and how do you design them well?

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SOLUTION

magnify image Figure M3.10 Customers benefit from receiving location-specific information on their mobile devices, while maintaining their privacy.

Location-based services are useful as guides for exploration and navigation, for tagging and retrieving information, for coordinating better with other people, for augmented reality games, and for vehicle tracking. In all of these applications, be sure to design for privacy from the start.

Other Patterns to Consider

Location-based services let you provide PERSONALIZED CONTENT (D4), more relevant ORGANIZED SEARCH RESULTS (J3), MESSAGE BOARDS (D5) attached to physical locations, MULTIPLE WAYS TO NAVIGATE (B1) for tagged multimedia, and new kinds of STIMULATING ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT (A9). However, privacy is an important concern, so provide a clear PRIVACY POLICY (E4), follow FAIR INFORMATION PRACTICES (E3), and let people tailor their PRIVACY PREFERENCES (E8) so that they’ll be comfortable using your services. Location-based services are an emerging area of commercial activity, and we’ll be seeing more kinds of compelling applications in the near future.

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