Mobile Site Design Services
What are your considerations in creating the ideal mobile site design? Below are some Mobile Web Design Trends for 2009 as adapted from SmashingMagazine.com's article.
1. Simple options
One of the most intriguing things about mobile websites is the scaled-down options that are available to visitors. The mobile home page of Digg, for example, contains only 10 simple headlines and links, a log-in link and a few very basic navigation options. When it comes to mobile websites, simplicity is key. Because of the lack of space on the screen and Internet connections that are often slower, it’s important for visitors to have access to what is most crucial, and as little else as possible.
In an age of crowded pages, the simplicity of mobile websites can be refreshing. What’s important is there, and what is most likely excess gets cut out. The simple options that a user has can make a mobile website much more usable than it would be otherwise, as long as the options allow for actions the visitor wants to take.
2. White space
White space is an important part of any design, and it’s something that’s usually a challenge in Web design because there is a desire to get as much as possible in front of the visitor. White space becomes even more of a necessity in mobile design because the typical screen size is so much smaller. A jumbled website would be very user-unfriendly and very difficult to pull off in the mobile environment.
As you browse through the websites shown in the gallery further down in this article or in real-world scenarios on your own mobile device, you’ll find that many websites include ample white space, especially the ones that are helpful and easy to use.
3. Lack of images
 As high-speed Internet connections have become more common in recent years, designers have been able to take more liberties with things like bandwidth-hogging video and images. The average visitor on a desktop or laptop wants to see a visually engaging website, and, as a result, images are heavily used. However, when it comes to mobile design, excessive use of images often does more harm than good.
There is a great variety of speeds of mobile Internet connections and of pricing plans for access. Visitors are more likely to be slowed down or concerned with use of their resources when they’re on a mobile. Additionally, the size of the screens can make many images difficult to see and content harder to read. For these reasons, it’s very common to see minimal use of images in mobile Web design.
As a growing number of mobile users move to smart phones with larger screens and better connection speeds, more opportunity exists to use images. However, because there is still a large percentage of users who are not using these devices, many mobile websites still avoid images when possible.
4. Domain names
When the .mobi top-level domain (TLD) first became available, significant buzz surrounded the news. However, it’s more than just buzz. A key reason for creating a mobile website is visibility and a better mobile experience for customers. A .mobi site gives business owners enhanced benefits from the search engines, while also creating better relationships with network level transcoders. Simply put, .mobi domain names are white-listed by these transcoders, thereby creating an optimised website for mobile phones without as much tweaking as other domain names.
5. Prioritized content
Because of the simplicity of these pages and the general lack of many options, the content displayed is highly prioritized. One thing you may find surprising when viewing mobile websites is how much of the content is prioritized for the visitor. Of course, all websites should be user-focused, but because most websites are run commercially for business purposes, there are often elements that aren’t necessarily important to visitors, such as banner ads. While advertisements have largely become an accepted part of the Internet, most mobile websites are ad-free. The content available on a mobile website is typically of the highest priority to the average mobile visitor, not the company, although in the end the company benefits by having a more usable website.
A good example of prioritized content and simple options can be seen on Best Buy’s mobile website. The only options here are for a product search and store locator (a phone number is also listed to allow customers to place orders). The logic here is that visitors who are accessing the website on a mobile device are probably on the go and probably have something very specific in mind. Maybe they’re looking for a store close to their current location to buy a product. It’s less likely that a mobile visitor would be interested in simply browsing the website, so the most important options for this visitor are presented, with nothing else to get in the way.
But, you don’t need to go through the hassles of doing the nitty gritty details to get your mobile website up. Call VIZADO Today: 225-791-7179.
Vizado is a Louisiana web design company that provides custom website design, website development, website content management CMS system, internet marketing, branding services, and other graphic design services to small businesses, local government, health care, watercraft dealer, ministries, churches, non-profits and other organizations to the following areas:
Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Bossier City, Lafayette, Kenner, Walker, Metairie, Monroe, Shreveport, Slidell, Opelousas, LaPlace and Hammond. We can also offer internet marketing and brand strategies in Chalmette, Bogalusa, Baker, Bayou Cane, Crowley, De Ridder, Donaldsonville, Mandeville, Natchitoches. Other Louisiana areas we service include Zachary, Port Allen, New Roads, Fort Polk, Marksville, Jefferson, Harahan, Avondale, Pineville, and Destrehan just to name a few. |
