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Your Smartphone Home Screen Says A Lot About You!

By
Industry Observer with ARFCO Media

Your smartphone home screen says a lot about you!

I was watching a short video clip of Gary Vaynerchuk the other day and through the week it got my curiosity going so I’ve been checking home screens on co-worker and client smartphones.

Gary says take your phone out and look at your home screen. You’ll find only 3 things on it...

1. Escapism and entertainment
2. Information and utility
3. Social (people)

He goes on to say, “the home screen of a phone today in our society is the biggest gateway to the psychology of human beings on earth.” So I took a look at my home screen...

My iPhone 4s home screen.

As a blogger, one of the most important tools to me is the camera. I’m always on the hunt for good subjects and my iPhone is always with me. The phone is important of course, that's what this thing is, right? Yet funny to me it’s the 2nd button.

Obviously my home screen is mostly about communication, tools to help me remember, more tools for where I am and how to get to where I'm going. Google’s Chrome Browser is a must and I love the fact it’s synchronized across my devices and last but not least, email.

My 2nd screen has all of my social apps like Facebook, Linkedin, Tumblr, Youtube, Twitter, Google Plus, and Yelp etc... My 3rd screen has all of my real estate apps like myFirstAm, Homesnap, Zillow, Around Me, plus calculators, Walk Score, and demographics. My 4th screen has all of my photo and video apps like Camera+, Instagram, Tadaa, Aviary, Leonardo, iMovie, Directr, Videolicious, etc. etc. and finally, screen 5 is my catch-all for the miscellaneous like music apps, a couple of QR / barcode readers, travel and traffic apps, and things I'm trying out.

On first thought, I think my home screen might suggest I’m either really serious or boring, or maybe both? But, it’s all the stuff I need to get to fast and most often. My iPhone is not only my Swiss Army Knife but also my office these days.

 

What does your smartphone home screen say about you?

Gary Vaynerchuk: The Significance of Your Phone's Homescreen

 

Posted by

René Fabre

"Where there's conversation, there's opportunity."

Please Note - The views expressed herein reflect only the individual’s personal views and are not the views of the author’s employer.

The Blackberry Chronicles, a blog by Rene Fabre and his travels around the Greater Pacific Northwest and beyond. Connect w/ Rene Fabre on Google+. Rene Fabre on Twitter. Rene Fabre writes reviews on Yelp. Rene Fabre on Linkedin.com The Audiorium YouTube Channel by Rene Fabre. Facebook.com/renefabre Rene Fabre loves digital photography and here are his shares on Flickr. Rene Fabre is a musician and composer and shares some of his orginal music and recordings on Soundcloud. Rene Fabre shares his interests on Pinterest.
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Joan... shhhhhh...

Ed... :O)

Debbie... Me too... I love my photo apps!

Tammy... most of my real estate apps are on screen 3, not because they're less important than screen #1, but they're not urgent.

Laura... amazing isn't it how much has changed over the last 2 decades... I am careful! That's why you won't find any games on my devices!

 

Apr 28, 2014 12:29 AM
Amanda Christiansen
Christiansen Group Realty (260)704-0843 - Fort Wayne, IN
Christiansen Group Realty

My phone is strictly for business.  My ipad is where I'll play the fun games or solve a puzzle or something.  

Apr 28, 2014 12:33 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Christine... what ever works, right? I like simple.

Kathy... that makes total sense. My life is about talking to co-workers, mostly sales reps and clients, mostly real estate brokers. I'm usually in my car or at some location at an event so my home screen is kinda like a Braille system. I can get to it blind.

Nina... hardly any fluff on mine either, no games!

Joni... I've been thinking about more folders and less screens. It's a toss up. I actually took several apps off the iPhone because I only really use them on the iPad. But that still leaves me with 48! And I use everyone of them!

Michael... mine were too for quite a while until I missed several awesome photo opportunities because I couldn't find my photo app fast enough.

Ginny... my screens are always kind of morphing into different arrangements.

Richie... good one! :O)

Rob... me too, except for a few music apps I'm playing with to see if they'll work for a video soundtrack.

Scott... gotta have some fun "stuff"! I don't do games, but I love apps that are a little out of the box. Playing with a synthesizer one now and can't believe how cool it is.

Paul... I hadn't thought about the window into our psychology thing, but it makes sense. I worry a little mine is pretty boring, so I use the excuse I only have the 16 gigabyte version and can't spare any memory... 

 

Apr 28, 2014 12:43 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Amanda... Me too, infact over the last couple of months I've moved a bunch of apps off my iPhone because I really only use them on the iPad. 

Apr 28, 2014 12:46 AM
Suzanne De Vita
RISMedia
Online Associate Editor

89,000 emails! I get anxiety when I see there's just 1 unread message, LOL! I keep my home screen super organized by categorizing everything. It definitely speaks to my Type A personality!

Apr 28, 2014 01:02 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Camera to upload the image from a Rotary meeting with the slide out key board to tap tap who, what, where. To stay in the community eye on Facebook, syndicate around the horn is important. But we carry a big still, a bodacious video camera in the other holster to hit anything that moves. To do the capture. The go pro app for the droid to be cradled on the flight controller for the phantom drone copter to see with about a 3 second lag time what your eye in the sky is for video / aerial still collection.

Apr 28, 2014 01:05 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Suzanne... that's my gmail account. I don't delete, but I do keep up and read.

Andrew... Would love to get a Go Pro and the drone copter sounds awesome!

Apr 28, 2014 01:20 AM
Jimmy Chickey
Keller Williams Realty Southwest - Las Vegas, NV
Realtor, Nationally Recognized Author, Teacher

I Love Gary V.  You got me on this one.  I immediately went to go look at my screen.

Apr 28, 2014 02:55 AM
Kristin Hamilton CA REALTOR
Berkshire Hathaway California Realty - Beaumont, CA
(909) 557-6966- Specialize 55+ Communties Banning

 I keep some in folders on my iPad but on my iPhone, I only have the ones I truly need and the rest are around the corner.

Apr 28, 2014 09:30 AM
Kevin Mackessy
Blue Olive Properties, LLC - Highlands Ranch, CO
Dedicated. Qualified. Local.

Your home screen tells me you need to delete some emails!  It can always be daunting to sift through that many though...

Apr 28, 2014 09:53 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Jimmy... Me too! though sometimes he frustrates me, I peel the onion and get to what he means... Thanks!

Kristin... I'm headed that way, with folders....

Kevin... My gmail account is a catch all. I do respond quickly to real requests. I just don't delete. So that's not a tally of the unanswered... I'm thinking of the profile.

 

Apr 28, 2014 11:37 AM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Burlington, MA
Metro Boston Homes For Sale

That's a great observation, René.

Well, for me too, camera, gmail, messages and phone are on first screen!

Apr 28, 2014 01:07 PM
Virginia (Ginger) Schott
Cabins & Canoes - Port Jervis, NY
Assoc. Broker, CBR, CHMS

Great post, My home screen is Contacts, phone, messaging, voicemail and email.  All my communications in one place

Apr 29, 2014 06:26 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Praful... Thanks... a lot in common on our 1st screen!

Virginia... Yep, communication comes 1st! Agreed.

 

Apr 29, 2014 07:26 AM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

Like many here, messages, gmail and camera are on my uncluttered screen. B

Apr 30, 2014 02:15 PM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Hi Sharon... Do you have an iPhone or a Droid? 

May 01, 2014 02:38 AM
Jane Peters
Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles real estate concierge services

It's interesting that your phone,contacts, and messages apps are not along the bottom. I thought that was standard.   I think I had better go clean up my screen lest someone come and cart me off....

May 02, 2014 06:18 AM
Kerrie La Guardia
ActiveRain, Community Manager - Kirkland, WA
Let it Rain!

Is it a bad sign that I have Words with Friends on my homescreen?  Addicted!  (name is kerrielil if you wanna challenge) 

May 06, 2014 07:18 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Jane... that's because when I grab my phone I'd keep triggering them all to open. i have piano fingers, yet I feel when it comes to my iPhone, I wear a baseball catchers mitt! :O)

 

May 06, 2014 09:55 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Hi Kerrie... You may be in trouble... :O) I just might take you up on that, screen 2?

May 06, 2014 09:56 AM