Mobile browser advances do not remove the the need for mobile-friendly sites
Posted by ronan 5 years 11 weeks ago
The argument goes as follows: phones are becoming more capable all the time and already some high end phones can handle existing desktop-focused sites without a problem. So why is a mobile-friendly site necessary?
This true up to a point—some of the more recent Nokia smart phones (e.g. the Nokia N90 and N70 series) are being shipped with the Web Kit browser that can render normal desktop sites such as Amazon without any problems. However, there are 4 major problems with this approach:
- These advanced phones represent a tiny percentage of the phones in use around the world. We should concern ourselves more with the 2.5 billion other “normal” phones. These abilities will likely trickle down to other phones, but this will take a long time.
- Phones will always be less capable than PCs due to the physical size limitations. You simply can’t fit a big screen and keyboard in a small phone. There will always be a capabilities gap, regardless of how good the phones get.
- Just because you can visit a PC site on a phone, it doesn’t mean you necessarily want to. Mobile is different. Mobile browsing is much less about random surfing than it is about targetted, time & location-specific tasks. Experience has shown that you can’t simply miniaturize a site for mobile—to be truely mobile-friendly and useful, a site needs to be designed for mobile, not just squeezed into a smaller space. Some people argue that mobile should be considered another channel entirely, and that it is a mistake to think about it in the same way.
- Viewing a PC site on a phone can be very expensive because of all the graphics that need to be downloaded. The cost alone is enough to make this unfeasible for many users. Example: the cnn.com homepage would cost as much as €7 to view on a phone based on some data plans in Europe.
Posted by ronan 5 years 11 weeks ago
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Posted by bwelford 5 years ago
I agree entirely with the points you make on this. Indeed I want to push the argument further. So often the requirement is set as 'satisfactory user experience' on mobile devices. I think this 'get by' attitude is just an excuse for not doing the job. We should be targeting an optimal user experience for whatever device the user is using. That's a much tougher challenge.
Posted by gene_technics 5 years ago
I think the solution is in new web site browsing organization. There are three main parts in a web site: the content, menu and advertisements. If we separate the content from the framework and display them on two displays simultaneously - that will bring a 'satisfactory user experience'. You know about Nintendo DS Lite - the users are satisfied - it requires only to take the form factor of the popular Motorola RAZR V3 and place two touch sensitive displays. Then implement a strategy that the second display-keyboard is a place for the system, program and context menus as well as for the navigation (site menu) and advertising areas. That is what I did in my Cell Computer Project: http://geocities.com/gene_technics
The benefits are clear to the users: a two display solution is an implementation of Mobile 2.0 - it's a new level of devices - a cell computer. So it's a standard hardware platform - everything is according to the standards - the main display (16:9); the second display that is used as a keyboard with 53 keys - the compact implementation of the US-International Keyboard layout - this allows to perform a standard localization; and the control panel (a central ring and F1-F8 keys).
And this will combine a notebook/desktop computer and cell phone - it's a mobile device that allows to edit documents on the main display using a fully functional keyboard and the context menus on the second display. And when you browse a Web site - the second display is used for selecting the menu items. In addition, for mobile marketing - the advertisements are at the fingertips of consumers.
Regards,
Michael Molin
GeneTechnics Company
Posted by nacho 5 years ago
All four points are important (I do not like paying so much for information access and the whole desktop experience is served to my phone). The big point is anyway "Just because you can visit a PC site on a phone, it doesn’t mean you necessarily want to". This includes the money thing. I fully agree.
Posted by seth 5 years ago
It was about time that someone to raise this issue.
I totally agree with the article. Its such a big fuzz/accent about the accessibility on the desktop so why shouldn't we do it for mobiles too. After all on handset devices is harder to surf because of the native limitations (small screen, slower transfer).
Best Regards
David Kadar
One candle left to burn now, before the darkness comes...www.12snap.com