Are iPhone activities tasks?

I love 'Adaptive Path,' a blog run by a usability research firm. Having done some usability work, it's interesting to see how the discipline is changing.

Rachel Hinman wrote an article [link here] on an evolving theory that usability experts are going to have to tear up their task analysis model and embrace something more fuzzy. She believes the task model will give way to the possibility model. She cites three areas where iPhone interactions deviates away from simple tasks:

1) Interactions that accrue value over time. This group consists of services such as Facebook and Twitter, where the value in the application is less the application and more the interactions that it enables, whose value builds over time. 

2) Interactions that facilitate exploration. This group is made up of 'idle' apps such as Koi Pond and Attaining Zen – there's no task other than enjoying the experience of raking sand and playing with fish.

3) Interactions that sense intent. These applications are location aware and suggest interactions based on that location data. As an example, a to-do application that shows the grocery list when you are in the supermarket and office tasks when you are in the office. 

It's an interesting theory but I disagree her basic assumption that feeds into this theory – that mobile devices are not great platforms for accomplishing tasks. On the contrary, I believe mobile devices are actually better for many tasks that have traditionally lived on the desktop, such as scheduling, list management etc.

Human beings are task oriented, regardless of the sophistication of the task. In all the interactions she cites, there are tasks associated with them. 

1) In the first interaction, the task is staying connected to my friends, family and associates. It's not that different than sending an email to a friend or group of friends. 

2) In the second interaction, the task is entertainment, which may not seem like a task but to me it is. 

3) The third interaction is actually the best type of task management possible – one that senses where you are and suggests what tasks you should be doing. We all have lists for different locations and recognize how frustrating it is to go to a store and realize that you have forgotten your list.

For usability experts, what will need to change is how one tests tasks on a mobile device vs. the desktop. Because of space and time constraints, users are much less forgiving of an application that is designed poorly. Apple deserves credit for educating developers on the differences but there's so much they can do. 

I think this is an area for growth for usability experts. The App Store is loaded with hundreds if not thousands of applications that are just plain frustrating to use and poorly thought out. I look forward to seeing how they can be improved.