Mobile Opportunity

	Mobile Opportunity
	Owner: The Mozilla Foundation; Responsible: Product Manager, Designer, Development Contractor; Accountable: David Ascher	Updated: 2014-05-27
	This is a cross-Mozilla research project investigating how to put the power of the web in more hands, in more places— particularly emerging digital economies.

Scope of research

1. How can we give new smartphone users the power to participate and make the web?
2. How can we dramatically increase supply of local apps in emerging markets?
3. How can we differentiate Firefox OS, drive demand for devices?

Activities

1. Accelerate and test on-device app authoring
2. Develop training and programs for app making with community
3. Facilitate pilot programs and user research with low-end hardware in market

• India / Bangladesh (Telenor)
• Brazil (Telefonica)
• Kenya (TBD)

Project calendar

See calendar of planned activities

Tasks

No results.

0 Total; 0 Open (0%); 0 Resolved (0%); 0 Verified (0%);

Project outcomes

1. Publish results in white paper with GSMA
2. Feasibility study for launching on-device apps authoring as future part of Firefox OS
3. Evaluate options, produce business plans
4. Commit to longer-term initiatives
5. Discuss the work at MWC, make appropriate announcements about future mobile for development work

Resourcing and Structure

The “core team” is a hybrid engineering / field research team developing a set of prototypes for mobile apps authoring; for designing pilot programs in field with target users and target hardware; for facilitating and studying these pilots; and for developing a set of partner integration points including mobile money, SMS, marketplace, and other value-added services.

The wider group of advisors will help link this team to market insights, user research, strategy, philanthropic partnerships, Gaia, marketplace, brand, marketing, community, and other Mozilla functions.

Mozilla Foundation is negotiating partnerships to bring additional resources and expertise to the project. These partners are interested in presenting our experiments and learnings as part of a broader macroeconomic research agenda.

In this period, Appmaker and the new mobile prototypes will serve as a research laboratory. See Figure 1. Through field observations, metrics, and analysis, we will use this learning period as a way to inform a Mozilla local content strategy. The existing Appmaker team provides essential support: while the technologies underlying the Appmaker product and the new initiatives may split, there are currently major advantages to shared contribution architecture, partnership pipelines, and open source community management, illustrated in Figure 2.

Advisors

• Ben Moskowitz: program strategist, director of philanthropic partnerships
• Ria Joy: advise on partner research agenda, product strategy
• Harald Kirschner: advise on Marketplace / carrier API integration
• Michael Henretty: advise on Gaia optimization
• Rina Jensen: advise content trends
• Rory Petty: advise on program design
• Michelle Thorne: Webmaker and Reps community
• Emily Goligoski: user research lead

Key community members

• Andre Garzia: technologist/community liaison coordinating Brazil pilots
• Ricardio Panaggio: technologist/community liaison coordinating Brazil pilots
• Aschickur Raman: technologist/community liaison coordinating Bangladesh pilots
• Mahay Alam Khan: technologist/community liaison coordinating Bangladesh pilots
• TBD: technologist/community liaison coordinating India pilots
• TBD: technologist/community liaison coordinating India pilots
• TBD: technologist/community liaison coordinating African pilots
• TBD: technologist/community liaison coordinating African pilots

Executive support

• Chris Beard
• Mark Surman
• Pete Scanlon
• Rick Fant

Documentation and research

• Appmaker
• Firefox OS Concept Refinement
• Firefox OS Demo Documentation: Mozillapps and Just For You