Design for the Mobile Web

Being able to access the Internet via your mobile phone is nothing new. Some have been browsing the Web with their mobile devices for years. What a new development is though, is that the mass is now quickly catching on. In Europe many telecom providers now offer unlimited Internet access on your mobile for very affordable rates. It used to be very expensive, paying by the amount of Mb you download and thus, it used to be reserved for a selected group of businessmen and jetsetters with a PDA or smart phone. Now, almost every self respecting teenager and student has Internet access on their mobile phone.

Things you should consider when having a web site developed suitable for mobile devices by a Webdesign Bureau is the page weight, navigation, image size, design and scripts. Think about how it will add to the user’s mobility and in which context they will access your site. Whether on a train or a bus? Educate your users to enter a mobile URL and automatically detect the mobile device, redirecting them to the appropriate location.

In mobile web design, less is more and so, you should try to lose everything that doesn’t support your goals. Try to keep your navigation simple, with at least one content item per category. Don’t have more than five categories with up to ten links. Put considerable thought into the clickstream and don’t have more than five navigation levels. Even though less is more, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t provide your users with a rich experience. Here, design comes into play and good design will truly add an extra dimension and a differentiator which sets you aside from your competitors. Designing for mobile devices is tricky because of the amount of devices being sold every year with different screen sizes and mobile browsers. If you are looking for more useful information about this subject you can visit the W3C web site.

Tags: mobile