Develop a mobile site

By Stuart Whitaker, project manager at Black Mobile Solutions

For the third year in a row global mobile data use has nearly tripled, also Europe’s TeliaSonera says it expects mobile data traffic to double each year for the next five years. With these kinds of statistics and prediction you can see how important it is to have an effective mobile presence.

However before you plough headlong in to converting your current website in a mobile site it is important to remember that the mobile web playing field is not level. With several key device operating systems and a medley of browsers, coupled with variable support of web standards, the results sometimes can be at best acceptable and at worst drive your users away. However, if you follow some simple key advice the process can be made simpler, the outcome better and you may even enjoy yourself along the way.

Follow these ten tips when planning to develop a mobile site: (continues below).

1. Know your user base
The many different types of users and devices out there can have a dramatic effect on the type of site you produce and the functionality and content you offer. If your audience is primarily business users then it makes sense to tailor your site for advanced smart phones and touch screen devices. Equally, if you are engaging with local councils and government services then your site will need to be optimised for all devices, right down to the simplest of ‘feature’ phones.

2. Follow the standards
The foundation of every good web site is good HTML structure, with CSS for style and JavaScript for behaviour; this follows for mobile sites. The one main area where mobiles differ to PCs is there are a greater number of devices which need to be considered. The most concise way to achieve this is to incorporate server side device detection in to your web server. This works by interrogating each device for a number of key properties and once the device type has been ascertained the most appropriate content can be delivered. If you follow the standards carefully, there is a pretty good chance that most mobile browsers will be able to at least interpret your site and render it in a manner that is usable.

3. Include analytics
When developing your new site ensure you include site metrics, such as Google Analytics or Omniture. This will give you valuable information on who is using your site and the areas of popularity. This enables future development to be targeted to the areas which best support your user base.

4. Consider the content
The most common mistake is to generate a mobile site which simply copies the main desktop site. No consideration has been made with regards to what the aim of the site is and how the information will be used. Often mobile sites are accessed on the go so it is important to carefully condense your content down to bite size pieces. This will allow your user to simply and easily ‘graze’ on your content.

5. Turn things upside down
We are so used to using desktop sites with the navigation at the top of the screen that so often this same format is used for the mobile space. However the real estate available for mobile sites is far smaller and so a different approach needs to be considered. Once the user has left the home page consider moving the navigation to the bottom of the screen. This frees up space and, as the user will need to scroll to the bottom of the page to view all the content, this becomes the natural place for the navigation to be found.

6. Simplicity is key
As a general rule when converting your site from desktop to mobile it is important to simplify where you can. This allows you to keep file sizes down and speeds up content delivery. Remember, mobile and wireless networks are faster than they used to be but they are not a patch on even the most modest of broadband connections. Usability considerations also call for a simplified approach to design and navigation. With less screen real estate you need to choose your placement of elements wisely. Remember; less is more.

7. Add in useful functionality
Often people access mobile sites on the go with the aim of quickly and easily finding direct or contact details. By adding functions such as ‘click to call’, ‘click to view map’ and LBS (location based services) you can greatly ease their journey, both metaphorically and physically. These are simple offerings but they enrich your site and streamline common tasks.

8. Single column layout
Another simple point, but often overlooked – a single column layout will often work best across a larger number of devices. It also allows for your site to be easily translated across different device resolutions and screen orientation.

9. User input
In essence, keep it short. Stick to the essentials and allow them to enrich at a later date. Data capture is always a barrier, so minimise typing by employing drop down menus and prefilled data fields.

10. Mobile or classic
Give the option to visit your full desktop site. While the point of the mobile version is to optimise for viewing on mobile devices, some users may want to access content you haven’t deemed necessary to include on the mobile version. They are also maybe accessing your site with a tablet or large screen phone; these types of devices often make viewing of full sites possible.

 

 

 

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