How I Spend My Day On My Mobile

Being on my phone feels like second nature to me. To say I can’t live without my phone is an understatement. I literally have everything on it and feel like I have everything I need on my phone. It’s my lifeline, my wallet, my social companion all rolled into one tiny hand-held device. When I was asked to look into my mobile device usage for my omni-channel marketing class at George Brown, I wasn’t really shocked at the results. I knew I was using my mobile almost 24/7. However, I was surprised at which apps I actually use the most and how many hours I’m on it on average. Below is a visual presentation of how I usually spend my day on my mobile.

As a daily habit, the top 5 apps that I make use of everyday are: Instagram, Viber (Asian messaging app), Facebook and Facebook Messenger, and Maps. In using these apps, I realized my phone is really my main form of connection with people. I use Instagram and Facebook to stay connected and in the loop, avoiding FOMO from friends back home; Messaging apps such as Viber and Messenger are there for me to communicate via text, calls and video calls with my family; and Maps to help me get around Toronto and get to the destination I need to be to meet with friends and colleagues. In using these apps, I have discovered very defined micro-moments. Instagram - For my “I want to know what my closest friends and peers are up to” or “I want to get inspiration for my day” or even “what's happening in pop culture, fashion and new trends in the marketing industry” moments. Viber and Messenger - are for my “I want to connect and communicate with my family” and “I need to check what’s happening to my businesses back home” moments (which happens A LOT).

Facebook - is mainly really for my “I’m really bored, I want to know what people-I’m-not-necessarily-close-to are up to"; "What life events are my friends and family back home posting about"; "What’s happening in the Philippines” kind of moments. Maps - is my everyday guide for my “I want to go to and eat or shop here” moments. It’s surprising that this app isn’t my number 1 most used app because I certainly use this everyday since I’m still fairly new in the city and don’t completely memorize which bus number or subway line I need to get to whenever I want to eat at a certain restaurant, meet with friends or shop at a certain store. I even still use this app when I’m making my way to the campus to make sure I get on the correct bus, streetcar, or subway and make sure I get there on time. These apps are my lifelines but I can’t deny that once in a while there are unexpected frustrations whenever I use them. However I think most of these pain points have something to do with my Iphone storage given that there have been times when my phone prompts the most annoying “not enough” storage reminder. Most of the time when this happens, I have noticed the next thing that I will encounter would be my apps crashing midway while I’m viewing my stories and browsing through my feeds. Sometimes I won’t be able to open my messaging apps anymore since my storage can’t handle it. When this happens, it’s troublesome. Especially when I need to send out an important message to my family or I need to see their messages. At times also, when I am about to post an Instagram story, the app deletes the video because it simply can’t store that much data anymore. Those captured moments are immediately gone. Another example would be when I’m in the middle of watching a video on Facebook and the app just crashes and I won’t be able to find that video anymore. Perhaps the most frustrating of them all, which I think is a real pain point given that it doesn’t have anything to do with my phone’s storage anymore, is when Maps is not accurate when the buses or streetcars are coming. I must admit, I’m not the most patient person and I always want to get to my destination on time. So when this happens, I do feel like my mobile companion has let me down.

From my personal day-to-day experiences using my mobile device, I have come to realize that I use my phone not only to be connected with people I can’t be with physically but more importantly to be updated 24/7 about all things that are important to me. I’m on my phone to get instant answers, instant results at any given time. Holding my phone makes me feel unafraid, secure and confident. When my phone dies out of battery or is out of storage, I become quite concerned, unsettled and to be honest, have a mini panic attack. Let’s face it, who doesn't? This realization makes me aware of how dependent I am on my tiny hand-held device. Given this behaviour, having a smooth and seamless mobile user experience is exceptionally important to me. With the pain points that I have mentioned, I know how important it is to take care of my mobile even by simply cleaning it out from the unnecessary files that’s in there to make room for more storage (because who wants to pay Apple for more storage, right?) or to look for a better and way more accurate app in replacement for Maps. If you have any suggestions for that last one, feel free to drop it in the comments below!