Android vs. iOS: What the Choice Says About Your Customers

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most common tests to distinguish the four dichotomies of personality. It is used by psychologists, marketers and economists to identify characteristics that would lead to consumer decision outcomes. Recently, researchers have applied this test to customers’ choices of mobile platforms. So why are iOS and Android users so different?

Extroversion or Introversion

The first of the Myers-Briggs domains looks at a person’s interactions with the outside world. People who focus on their inner world are considered introverted whereas people that focus on the outer world are extroverted.

Usage research shows that extroverts prefer the natural multi-channel accessibility of an iPhone, and introverts like the messaging technology of an Android-based device. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a default system to send texts to single users in a thread whereas the iPhone 6 defaults to multiple users. iPhone users also are about 10 percent more likely to use social media on a daily basis, which matches their extroverted status.

Sensing or Intuiting

People who sense things take in information with very little addition of meaning. They pay attention to the physical world, and sight, sound and touch are their main reality. At the other end of the spectrum are the people that look for patterns or underlying meanings in data. These people use their intuition to navigate the world.

Sensing people will enjoy the direct interfaces offered under the Android platform. Scientists are especially focused on the types of personalities that use mobile technology for emotionally based communications like texting. Intuiting people will enjoy the FaceTime compatibility of iOS so they can get all of the benefits of face-to-face communication.

Thinking or Feeling

Online education has opened up a new world to global learners. You can earn Bachelors, Masters and even PhDs on your smartphone if you wish. Research with the Myers-Briggs test shows that thinking-types are more likely to embrace mobile learning, or m-learning, than feeling-types. The thinking personality tends to look for technical, logical truths and the feeling person lends importance to the shifting nature of personal reality.

Doing a side by side comparison of m-learning platforms, the iOS operating systems offer a huge database of educational apps that will make the methodical brain of the thinking-type very happy. The feeling person will probably look for a hybrid educational format and associated technology where he or she has personal feedback readily accessible.

Judging or Perceiving

Task-oriented people tend to be more judgmental by nature. They like to have things decided or completed before playing. Their counterpart, people who perceive, appear spontaneous and work in tight bursts of energy.

This domain is particularly important for mobile recommenders like Yelpor SmartMuseum. Android products and the associated recommended apps tend to be embraced by the judging personality type. These applications allow the judging domain person to make decisions in advance and move on to the enjoyment aspect of the day. For the impulsive lifestyle of the perceiving personality, the Urbanspoon app on iOS will give a random suggestion, which helps keep the spontaneity in their life.

Photo Credit: Provided by Social Monsters with permission to use.