GuavaWorks Website Designs

The big question today seems to be “Should I create a website for the mobile user?”

It is not something that you can ignore. The percent of users that are on mobile browsers are on the rise, from cell phones to tablets, people want their information to-go. So where does that leave you trying to create a business and reputation for yourself online? There are two trains of thought that we currently run into.

Build a whole website, geared towards all mobile users
A lot of clientele of GuavaWorks assume they need a whole new website to cater to their mobile clientele and visitors. Website Designs that lack the robust feel and quality of their full website, geared only towards the mobile user. All content would be duplicated to this mobile version. There are may benefits to this ideology, that a completely new website needs to be created for the mobile user. It obviously gives the user the best user experience while retaining all the information on your website.

Here is my biggest issue with selling a client on this. I always ask the clients the same thing “Do mobile users really need access to ALL your content?” Most of the time, the answer is no. If you have a 200 page website dedicated to content on everything relating to your business, great, but a mobile user will most likely not be spending their time reading every page. The other question that comes up a lot is “Why would you go to your website while on a mobile device?” most clients that can answer this, have similar answers. “To find directions” , “To find a contact number” , or for those who offer services / or food “To see our menu / services”. If a visitor is only going to be looking at a few pages, why put all 200 up? Why not have the basics, and a easy to use contact page?

Build a simple website with the right content
This is the other thought that comes to me when we work with clientele wanting mobile-friendly websites. As I said, I believe this is the better alternative, create a website that has vital content, is easy to navigate with touchscreens  and still exemplifies your ideology. Because “Apps” are the big thing nowadays, most consumers prefer to get their information from an App. Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, etc. all coming into smart phones, tablets, and mobile devices via apps. If users are so crazy about apps, why not make your website look and feel like one? This is exactly what Facebook did.

Their touch friendly mobile website is even my preferred method of accessing facebook over any app. It features all the information I need to get from Facebook, in an easy to use layout where even my cubby fingers can get around.

So if I am so adamant about doing things this way, taking the Facebook model as an example, what dilemma is there? Why even tease readers?

Technology is evolving, smart phones being the #1 phone being sold, where phones without internet and email are hard to find, and even laughed at. Today smart phones and tablets are taking over, in the past quarter we saw the amount of laptop sales decrease while tablet sales increased. This is an amazing achievement showing where the future is going, where a thin laptop is going to be considered a clunky piece of machinery.

As technology evolves and gets better, so does how the web is viewed on it. The day the first Apple iPhone was unveiled with “real web” the world was shocked, a mobile phone that could render websites in the same layout and style as a computer? Unheard of. Today devices are unveiling not that  can their browser can display a website design just like on a computer,  play movies on the website, load design scripts, and ultimately function identically. So with the mobile browsers displaying content as well as a computer, why even bother with a mobile website?

DILEMMA!

As many code resources that developers use get better and better at releasing mobile-friendly UI elements, the mobile browsers they are working to help, are getting and better and not needing their tone-down versions.

THE GUAVAWORKS FINAL SAY

It all depends on your audience and target market. Before jumping to conclusions, look through your analytics (if yo don’t have that running, another issue), see how many users you really do see accessing your website from mobile devices, take note at which mobile devices they are using. Is it a significant number compared to the total visitors? Are we talking 10%, 50%, or 0.5%? How does your website look on the most used device? If you dont have one, go to your local Best Buy or Fry’s Electronics and test it out… seriously, its important to know what your website looks like on these mobile devices.

Once you have that information, think logically about which direction you want to go in, and remember GuavaWorks can help you whether you decide which mobile website version you should go with.