by Kathleen Fealy

When deciding what to include on your mobile website, start with listing your objectives.

Business Objectives

• What are the objectives of the mobile website?
• Are these objectives measurable?
• Should there be a separate mobile site, or one overall site that is responsive for all users?
• Are all the needed stakeholders — management, marketing, IT, sales — involved?
• What devices do your visitors most frequently use?

Visitor Objectives

• What do your mobile site visitors want to do?
• What do they need to do?
• Do they need to perform specific actions and what are those actions?
• In what environment will they be performing those actions?
• Is there a simpler way to illustrate concepts — graphics vs. words?
• What navigation is necessary to guide your visitors to their desired tasks?
• What functions or tasks need to be performed?

The key to a good customer experience is to determine how you can address the needs of your visitors and provide that functionality. Are they looking for a map? Do they want to order something? Compare prices? Need to book an appointment or make a reservation? Remember, too, that your visitors will use their phones and tablets in multiple scenarios — sitting in the car, on the couch watching TV, or browsing at Starbucks.

At all times, keep in mind that your visitor is using a small screen.

Guidelines for Good Mobile Website Design

Below are the most common recommendations for building a mobile-friendly site.

Remember to be aware of your graphic sizes and keep the file size small. This will help with users that have limited data plans and will also allow for fast page loading.

Layout

• Provide the most important information at top, such as business name, address, phone number, and a link to directions or map.
• When displaying phone numbers, use “click to call.”
• Simplify navigation to the most important buttons based on what your visitors are seeking.
• Don’t be cluttered — make use of space.
• Don’t make users scroll horizontally.
• Provide contrast between text and background.
• Consider how users hold their mobile devices.

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by Carin van Vuuren

If you’ve recently chatted with your Web development team, you may have heard about responsive design. A growing trend for today’s businesses, publishers and developers, responsive design is an approach to Web development that many brands are considering to optimize their online content for multiple devices with varying screen sizes across the traditional Web, tablets, smartphones and beyond.

Once you understand the kind of mobile experience you want to create, you can decide whether adopting a responsive design philosophy can deliver upon these expectations and goals. While responsive design can help you achieve a certain measure of consistency across channels, the real prize lies with the ability to create unique experiences. A broader multi-screen approach designed dynamically by channel will enable the sort of customer experiences that yield higher engagement and contribute to overall success.

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