Introduction

AMF is a German-based manufacturer of machine tools. This article decribes the process of creating the amf.mobi website and the tools and solutions used in its creation.

Technical Considerations

What was site design process was followed?

The site design process for AMF.mobi was as follows:

1. Planning – we consulted with AMF to identify the primary objectives of the mobile website, the target audience, required languages, and available content. A review was also conducted of the original WML mobile site we created 3 years ago to determine what components were successful and which ones could be improved upon utilizing the updated capabilities of XHTML Mobile and the .mobi domain.
2. Hosting – site hosting requirements were determined.
3. Design and Organization – we discussed with client how the site should be organized, and the general look and feel of the site.
4. Development – the site template was created, piecing together the layout, content, graphics, and SMS messaging platform.
5. Testing – we tested the functionality of all the pages, SMS service, and ensured the site validated according to W3C specifications.
6. Review – we reviewed the mobile site with client and made any final changes and adjustments that were required.

Was there any real handset testing done? What was the process?

AMF.mobi was tested on several handsets in both North America and Germany. After the site had been validated and tested on emulators, the AMF.mobi link was sent to AMF personnel where they tested the functionality on their own handsets.

What tools were used to create the site?

Altova's XML Spy was used extensively, as was Microsoft Visual Web Developer and Visual Studio.

Does the site use dynamic adoptation techniques to adapt the site to the requesting device? If so, how is this done? Is it fully dynamic or are there a number of static sites that match different phone capability levels?

AMF.mobi is designed to utilize XSLT to dynamically produce multiple outputs for different devices. When a certain device accesses the site, the server can detect the phone type and apply the applicable stylesheet which in turn produces an output specific to that particular device. The system allows the output to always conform to the W3C specifications, but also take advantage of the unique capabilities of individual handsets, such as wider screen, different image formats, colors, etc.

Were there any other tools or techniques used that may be of interest to other developers?

XMLSpy was very useful in the development of the XSL pages, and also for validating the output against the XHTML Mobile DTD.

How did you test for page markup compliance?

AMF.mobi was validated using the W3C Markup Validation service, the validation service built directly into the most recent version of the Opera browser, as well as Altova's XML Spy software.

Any tips for other web developers?

Our experiences could be summed up in a few key points:

• Keep it simple.
• Always think of the end user when developing mobile web services
• Focus only on content that would be of value to a user while on the go
• Use abbreviations wherever possible
• Access keys are very helpful in speeding navigation throughout a mobile site and should be used whenever there is a list or directory. Try to step out of the developer role, and imagine yourself as an end user of the application, one who is somewhat new to mobile web browsing and who is both intrigued by this new capability yet somewhat skeptical of its capabilities
• Remember that the mobile web is new to most people, and for many end users, it is difficult to imagine browsing the web on a mobile phone. Putting yourself in this end user role will greatly assist in how you design the mobile website

Design & Marketing

What is the purpose of the site?

The purpose of the site is to provide a new channel for AMF customers to quickly and easily access key corporate information such as product summaries and personnel directories while on the go.

Who is the target audience?

AMF utilizes tradeshows and conferences extensively to showcase its products and services to potential customers. The target audience for AMF.mobi is the attendees of these tradeshows and conferences. AMF customers can access or request all pertinent product information that would be available at the AMF booth and, in addition to this, detailed contact information of key contacts at the company. AMF.mobi serves as a "mobile business card", eliminating the need for potential AMF customers to search through the stack of business cards usually acquired at a tradeshow throughout the course of the day.

Is the site a mobile version of an existing site or a brand new one?

AMF.mobi is a mobile version of an existing web site, but contains features such as the SMS interactivity which are not available on the HTML site.

Will there be any attempts to market the site?

AMF will incorporate information on the mobile web site into its existing promotional materials. In addition, information on how to navigate to the mobile website via AMF.mobi will be made available at the AMF tradeshow and conference booths which AMF utilizes for tradeshows and conferences.

How was the content for the mobile site picked — was the existing site content pared down or was a green field approach used?

Both. Some components of the mobile site are pared down versions of the HTML site. Additional features, such as the SMS interactivity, were created using the green field approach as these components were specifically designed for the mobile web where they greatly augmented the functionality of the mobile site.

AMF.mobi was created by RISKebiz