Mobile web browsing continues to grow at a phenomenal rate, with different sources predicting different outcomes. Some reports reckon that by the end of year 2012, mobile web browsing will become more popular than desktop browsing. Others reckon it will be the year 2015. Regardless of this disagreement among statisticians mobile web browsing is something that has now become worth taking note of.
If you haven’t already got your website optimised for your mobile, here are a few tips on how to design your website for the mobile web.
Know Your Phones!
Unfortunately for web designers, the age old problems that we encountered for years when designing normal websites, are raising their ugly heads again for mobile devices. Making sure your website looks and functions as well as possible across different devices is a must. We not only have to worry about screen sizes, resolutions and input devices, but we’ve also been hit with another browser war on mobile devices. It’s critical that you understand your target market and that your mobile website functions as it should on these devices.
Screen Sizes & Resolutions
Much like PCs, screen sizes and resolutions are improving with every release of a new phone. However, typically speaking, unless you have a mobile the size of one from the eighties, you’re likely to have a pretty small screen (compared to a pc). Sizes vary, but the image below will give you an idea of what to expect in terms of screen sizes.
Browsers
Ah yes, us web designers love designing websites because it’s so much fun making sure they work with all web browsers… not!! And here we go again with the rollcoaster of cross browser compatibility on a mobile device. Yes, mobile web browsers come in all shapes and sizes and believe it or not, you may not even be able to guess what the top browser on a mobile device is…
In Ireland it’s a clear cut win for the iPhone browser, but the Android browser is making significant gains. Worldwide however, it’s a different story altogether. Opera is the leading browser worldwide according to statistics from StatCounter with the iPhone taking a massive drop in recent months. Android again unsurprisingly making significant grounds on the others.
User Interface
One common mistake we see from others designing websites for mobile devices is the lack of thought into how people will engage and interact with a mobile website. And of course that interaction depends on what kind of phone the person has. For example, if your on an iPhone you will have a capacitive multi-touch touchscreen which will allow you to use the pinch and zoom feature, but if your on a Blackberry you will probably have a scroll wheel.
Being completely aware of how people will navigate and interact with each available device will help you design an interface that will work well for each mobile device. In some cases, you may need to design different versions of your mobile website for each separate device to keep your users engaged.
Immediacy
When I say “immediacy”, I don’t mean just fast downloads with graphics and css files kept to a minimum. No, I’m also taking about how people will actually use your website.
Your mobile site should focus on the core functionality that your website offers. For example, if you are a recruitment agency, your job search should be the sole feature when the user lands on your mobile website. All the “guff” about how brilliant your company is should take second stage. Give the user what they came for and let them access the rest in other ways.
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and design great mobile websites!
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