Rethink Mobile Web

What makes for an incredible mobile site and an incredible desktop site are two very different things. In fact, you’ve probably never been amazed by how wonderful a mobile site looked. Instead, you likely felt satisfied that you were able to find the information you needed quickly and without frustration. That’s because on the mobile web, usability far outweighs style. Design and Graphics may look terrific on your desktop, but on mobile, they tend to be confusing, unnecessary and somewhat overwhelming. It is still important to capture your user and maintain consistency with your branding however, with mobile, simple is best. With over ½ of all local searches preformed on a smart phone, creating a mobile website is now essential. Doing so, however, requires a different frame of mind. If you’re considering creating a mobile site, here are a few guidelines that make it as compelling as possible: Accessibility is Key Your mobile site should be designed so that your users can move quickly and freely throughout the interface, this is key to the effectiveness of your sites usability. For example allowing toggling for options rather than forcing your users to view them, hiding rarely used features and avoid having users fill out long forms is just the beginning of the things you can do to create a more accessible environment. When your customer logs on to your site it is up to you to re-focus their attention on the content you want them to view opposed to the aesthetics. This means that the content should be as equally accessible as it is legible. Keeping Everything to a Minimum KEM (Keeping Everything to a Minimum) is very much like the Keep it Simple Stupid (KISS) technique. Okay, you got me, there is no such thing as the KEM technique, but you get the idea. Since effective mobile interactions have everything to do with great usability and nothing to do with overcrowded designs, we find ourselves in a place where in order for us to reach out to a user we must keep our mobile site as simple as possible. A good place to start is to ask yourself, “What are most customers going to visit our site for?” If it’s to reach a live person, then make the phone number prominent (and use Click-to-Call.) If it’s to find your address, make that the first thing your customer will see. The most effective mobile sites keep as much of the call to action above the mobile fold, this means that your customer can find exactly what they are looking for the minute they view your site. Take it Easy on the Images Nothing slows a page down faster than a few large images. Just like I said above KEM, it holds true for images too! Don’t sacrifice your logo but think twice before transferring all of the images used on your desktop. A great alternative to images is color. As unrelated as it may seem color plays a large role in mobile website usability. When color is used within the right parameters, it gives way to a more visually compelling manner for us to communicate information on a page without having to use up any additional space. Use of background color can go a long way; however there must be a definite contrast between a background color and text. Information that is conveyed using colors should contain a clear contrast between any of the other elements within the mobile design. Remember that color is a fantastic way to communicate information effectively not just a quick fix to make the mobile site look pretty. Learn From Others Companies are just now learning how valuable a mobile site can be, while most haven’t set one up yet, there are a good number that have. That’s good news for you, since you can learn from the best ones (and the worst). Next time you have a moment, do a little surfing on your mobile phone and pick out a few of your favorite sites. By putting yourself in the position of an everyday consumer you will quickly learn how the above tips can really ease your frustration.