What should a mobile site look like? Should it be an idealized version of an organization’s website, or should it be something entirely different? Ever since someone started paying attention to websites and how they display on the myriad of mobile devices, there has been ongoing confusion on what a mobile site should contain.

These are just a few of the contradicting realities:

• Most non-desktop users prefer a specific mobile view, though they will at times prefer to use the full website on their mobile device (I spoke with one frequent user of Amazon that uses the full site on her phone because the mobile app is difficult to navigate)
• Organizations like to offer images and videos to their mobile users, though acknowledge that long download times can cause users to abandon their site
• Companies are often conflicted with maintaining two separate strategies to engage their followers, but recognize that how mobile users and desktop users act are very different

To help some context and valuable instruction on this issue, we can turn to Danny Bluestone, founder and CEO of Cyber-Duck Ltd, a leading digital agency in the UK. Bluestone talks about using multiple design methodologies in an article from UX MAGAZINE; in particular, he promotes employing Responsive Web Design (RWD) in combination with Adaptive Web Design (AWD) techniques to fully address site design.

For almost the past year RWD has been emerging as the potential cure-all for making sites mobile capable; however, Bluestone makes a valid point. The view may change to match the screen size available, but it does not necessarily mean the view is fully optimized for the device. The greatest drawback to employing only RWD is that it ignores the fact that mobile users are looking for different things: they are interested in taking immediate action, and merely displaying the web content on their phone or tablet may not nudge them to do so.

While understanding the technological elements are critical, the real point behind the article is that web designers need to fully appreciate their client’s business intent; their market focus, what motivates their prospects, and the desired actions they want from both desktop and mobile users.

The winds of mobile are definitely blowing in a different direction. Web design and development firms need to look beyond the technology, and work with their clients to fully understand deeper business needs, and design with those issues in mind…

 

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