11/17 Update: I’ll be adding resources to this post periodically, I just added a few more 
I’ve been putting together a presentation deck for a mobile user experience workshop we’re running, and I thought – man I’ve collected a lot of resources in my time designing for mobile, why not share the wealth? If you’re a mobile designer who’s looking for more resources, or someone who’s just taking the plunge, hopefully you’ll find this post helpful.
User research tends to be pretty similar across the board in terms of methods. Whether you’re designing for web, mobile, or some other experience, methods like observation, interviews, diary studies, etc, can all be used to great effect. Of course, there are certain ways people use their mobile devices that should be taken into account when gathering user research. In the book Mobile First, Luke Wroblewski details some of these usage patterns in the following way:
While some principles in the web design space certainly transfer over to mobile design, mobile design is an entirely different arena in a lot of ways. With touch interaction comes new expectations and design patterns, and though it may seem overwhelming, it is important to realize there’s a whole set of tools and resources out there these days that can help you. Below I’ve listed some of the resources I’ve found helpful, separated into different design activities (get ready, there’s a lot!).
INTERACTION DESIGN
Reviewing Design Patterns
Sketching
Wireframing
Prototyping
VISUAL DESIGN
Creating Mobile Icons
Viewing Your Design on Mobile Devices
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Fireworks
Paper Prototyping
Task-based Usability Testing
Heuristic Analysis
(there’s a lot more books out there, I simply found these two to be the most relevant of the ones I’ve read)
Enjoy! And if you have more awesome resources let me know and I’ll add them to the list.
Thanks for sharing!
-H
