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This year there's set to be over a billion people using mobile devices to search the web worldwide. In light of that, you need to make sure that your site is ready for people to view on the go. Knowing your users goes a long way to making a better site. Obviously you want to reach as many people as possible, but when you're first started to make changes to your site you should think about the most likely users. If you're doing trend teen features, you should cater to i-phones for example.
Once you've got that sorted you need to think about how you can customise the site to these different operating systems. The thing to bear in mind across the board is that the site needs to be simple. Keep only the essentials of what users need to see. That usually means getting rid of a lot of images, because they won't look good on a smartphone, and they'll mess up your browsing presentation. The browsing options should also be simplified by having one directional scrolling.
Being presented with choice as a mobile web user is a refreshing experience. One of the best things to give them is the option of viewing the site it its normal resolution and content. That's because the newer phones, especially the latest Samsung and i-phones, are getting better at viewing standard carrier web pages without any amendments. If you want to go crazy, you could even present the option of different themes for different OS, meaning you optimise to each user base.
Pop ups and new windows can really get in the way when you're using a device that already has a small screen. Keep the user from being turned off by embedding media into the main pages. Also try to avoid using flash, as it won't work with apple devices at all, and probably won't be supported by other OS either. HTML 5 can keep up with media demands, so use the basic to get by.
Finally it's a good idea to pay attention to how effective your links are. Lots of links are too small on a standard browser to access effectively with a touchscreen. Save people a lot of zooming in and zooming out time by having the link made bigger and more manageable with a fingertip.
Once you've got that sorted you need to think about how you can customise the site to these different operating systems. The thing to bear in mind across the board is that the site needs to be simple. Keep only the essentials of what users need to see. That usually means getting rid of a lot of images, because they won't look good on a smartphone, and they'll mess up your browsing presentation. The browsing options should also be simplified by having one directional scrolling.
Being presented with choice as a mobile web user is a refreshing experience. One of the best things to give them is the option of viewing the site it its normal resolution and content. That's because the newer phones, especially the latest Samsung and i-phones, are getting better at viewing standard carrier web pages without any amendments. If you want to go crazy, you could even present the option of different themes for different OS, meaning you optimise to each user base.
Pop ups and new windows can really get in the way when you're using a device that already has a small screen. Keep the user from being turned off by embedding media into the main pages. Also try to avoid using flash, as it won't work with apple devices at all, and probably won't be supported by other OS either. HTML 5 can keep up with media demands, so use the basic to get by.
Finally it's a good idea to pay attention to how effective your links are. Lots of links are too small on a standard browser to access effectively with a touchscreen. Save people a lot of zooming in and zooming out time by having the link made bigger and more manageable with a fingertip.
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