Editorial pointers

COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM July 2005/Vol. 48, No. 7 5 Designing for the mobile device is almost like living in Manhattan; it takes creativity, resourcefulness, and a real knowledge of the owner’s needs to make the most of very little space. Indeed, the real estate on today’s cell phone or PDA screen is so limited, yet so precious, designer Karen Holtzblatt cautions: “...whatever is displayed [on it] had better matter to the user.” This month’s special section examines the experiences, challenges, and methods involved in designing for the constraints of mobile platforms. We are grateful to Holtzblatt for leading this project, enlisting authors from some of the key players in this industry, including Nokia, Sprint, Digia, Microsoft, and InContext Enterprises. Their stories reflect the real-world aspects of mobile application design and the business opportunities for designers and vendors alike. As you will learn, this venture often requires no less than the reinvention of design methods and principles to accommodate user demands despite an absolute premium on screen space.