NFC, or Near Field Communication, promises the ability to pay with a tap of the phone or pick up a coupon simply by waving near a display. However, for all the ease it offers, NFC is also presenting some new challenges for designers. From the call to action for a scan, to the proper use cases for the technology, how can usability professionals make the most of NFC and help ease the technology's adoption and utility?

1. Imagine an NFC future...
Bypass the front desk and just
check in from your phone,
walk to your hotel room and
unlock the door

2. Want a snack but don’t have
change? Just tap your phone
to pay

3. What is NFC?
Stands for “Near Field Communication”
Wireless Secure Short range Data exchange

4. You might be familiar with NFC’s cousin RFID
But there are three key differences
• proximity
• security
• two-way conversation

5. So to review
• NFC readers are put inside of smartphones
• Our smartphones can read NFC chips embedded with information,
or communicate with NFC-enabled devices
What does this look like out in the wild?

6. Marketing
Watch a movie trailer
Pick up a coupon
Learn more about a product

7. Healthcare
Download data from
medical devices
Easily share medical data to
your doctor

8. mCommerce
Tap to pay
No more IOUs, just tap the
money to your friend

9. Social Media
Tap to check in
Real world collaboration
between game players

10. Consumer
Carry computer preferences
with you on your phone
Step into your car and phone
switches to GPS, turns of
calls, adjusts seat to your
comfort, turns on AC

11. Why should you care?
Austin is a really important place for NFC
Google places Isis pilot city

12. NFC is forecasted to be everywhere
1 in 5 smartphones will ship with NFC by 2014
Global NFC m-payment transactions will be almost
US $50 billion worldwide by 2014
*Jupiter research April 2011

13. ...That said, I’ll be honest with you
Only in a few phones Lots of disagreement
No guarantee for iPhone

14. 3 things that can help
prepare you for NFC

15. How to indicate an area can be scanned
The Universal
The N Mark Contactless Symbol
Created by the NFC Forum, Symbol currently used for
requires you meet minimum smart card enablement, which
standards is frequently NFC compatible.
A group of European companies have rejected both of
these and are creating their own

16. The importance of industrial design
Comfort Usability
• Use skeuomorphs • Important information at top
• Use cues for validation. Cater cues to • Portrait mode
type of scan and venue

17. Proximity and Placement
Near Interference
• four centimeters • Don’t place near water or metal
• Close to other NFC tags
• Use tags with isolation layer

18. NFC begs a lot of questions,
we need your help to answer them
Want to hear a room full of NFC experts have it out over these topics?
NFC: No Freakin’ Chance?
Saturday, March 10, 11am Hilton Room 616AB