The StyleSheet - For businesses that use the internet

Getting Ready for the Mobile Web

Posted December 1, 2006 By Jonathan Horak |

Think the browser wars are heating up? It’s only just begun. Unlike the personal computer browser market with a handful of browsers (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari), the mobile arena is saturated with browsers on countless devices (with more varied screen sizes). Even though around twenty million people in the U.S. access the Internet through mobile devices monthly ^(source), a large portion of the Web isn’t optimized for this use. Ask any gadget-obsessed friend of yours about the state of the mobile Web and they’ll probably vent their frustration in expletives.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

To make your Web site mobile-friendly, start by considering handheld devices while your more traditional (PC friendly) site is being built or redesigned. During this process, think about what mobile users are looking for on your site. If you run a restaurant, for example, you probably don’t need a full menu immediately accessible to mobile users but you’ll want to provide easy access to a phone number and address.

If you already have a Web site built, another large step towards making it accessible to handheld devices is to test, test, and test some more. Odds are a number of people in your personal circle of friends and family will have a vast range of mobile devices for you to visit your site with. Take note of the devices and browsers that have the most difficulty in displaying your Web site. (This information will come in handy for your Web developers.) Testing also offers you the opportunity to determine which content is hard to access on a small screen.

If you have the chance, it’s a good idea to visit competitors’ sites using mobile browsers as well. Look for what they do best – and worst – with their content. Casual analysis can help you realize what modifications are needed for your own site. For example, you’ll find that sites that don’t use JavaScript and Flash for crucial content will fare best (both technologies lack broad mobile support.) Also, sites that adhere to Web standards will have better success on the mobile platform than those that don’t.

If you are curious of what to expect for the mobile Web in the future, the present offers a strong hint. Currently, there are four times as many mobile phones as PCs ^(source) and one-fifth of the world’s population has access to the mobile Web ^(source). We can only expect these ratios to increase as we go forward. With this in mind, it’s important that we all begin to think over how our sites will look and function on mobile devices. If your site is built with content and usability as primary concerns, you’ll be better prepared for the coming mobile Web.

Resources

Cameron Moll: “Mobile Web Design – The Series”

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