Rowan MeadeMobile website development is here to stay, and that’s a fact. Over the past three years, we have seen the mobile revolution make a sizable impact on nearly every industry. The release of the iPhone and subsequently the iPad was just the beginning of a major shift in how consumers interact with businesses.
Businesses that have embraced the revolution have reaped the benefits. So what is your company’s strategy for going mobile? The first question you should ask yourself is, what are you looking to achieve with a mobile website? It is not as straight forward as you may. Let’s say you’ve decided to create a full mobile website. What steps are you going to take to create it?
Below we will take a look at the necessary steps for creating a mobile website, using an Ecommerce business model as our example.
Step 1. Choosing the platform
The mobile market is constantly changing with both Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android currently battling it out for the top spot. The arrival of Apple’s iPhone sent a seismic ripple through the mobile market and while the Android has made healthy gains in the market share, Steve Jobs and his company still continue to dominate. So at the outset of creating your mobile website you have to ask yourself, is it better to build for the largest platform or try and create a website that is adaptable to all platforms?
Apple has created an extensive resource for developers on how to create both websites and applications for mobile devices. The downside to those that may have Flash-heavy websites is that Apple does not support Flash and in that case when designing their mobile websites some compromises will have to be made. The flipside to that is Apple offers new interactive experiences for users, many of which are not feasible with traditional websites, making your site development very challenging.
Using an Ecommerce business as our example, we will demonstrate how mobile interaction can really enhance the user’s experience and create a solid space for businesses to reach their customers. First we need to determine the type of business (e.g. what is it selling), then determine how the product or service is being sold. For example, Netflix, a provider of both offline and online DVD rentals, have developed their business model by delivering their content quickly and reliably to users on many different platforms.
Comparing both their traditional website and their iPhone application we can see that they have many subtle differences, but the most notable is the design layout, which we will cover below in Step 4. One of the main things to acknowledge here is that essentially users can still interact with the website the same as they would on the traditional website, but that interaction has been simplified. This is an important thing to note when creating your own mobile website. No matter how complex your business is, make sure you know the key factors that your potential customers are searching for in order to reach your mobile consumers.
Step 2. Key selling points
The first action to take is to gather the user data you have from your website, including any user behavior information such as which areas of your website have been viewed via mobile device, which devices were used and what particular pages were viewed. Now if you have a Flash-heavy website this may not be applicable to your company so the fall back is to review which areas of your traditional website are most popular with users.
Once you have created a definitive list of areas, you can then start to develop the content, features and functionality that these areas will require. Netflix chose to provide streaming videos predominantly on the landing page of their mobile website, based on the users preferences and suggestions, promoting video instead of the offline DVD selection. Essentially, Netflix identified the main selling point for mobile users, which was instant access and then used that information to develop their content.
Step 3. Content
The phrase “content is king” still rings true in the mobile environment but with a twist; the twist being the user’s interactions with the mobile website content. The layout of a mobile website’s content is minimal and that’s the way we like it uh huh uh huh! Kidding aside, essentially you are taking the best of the best from your website, creating a logical flow for the user to follow and figuring out how to craft that along the way – that is the twist.
Generally, mobile development falls into a few basic navigation and content structures, which I will cover in more detail in a follow up article. For the purpose of this article we’ll concentrate on a simple vertical, 4-point navigation structure. Netflix has decided to use four navigation points (three if you are not including the homepage), making more room for the vertical presentation of their streaming videos. The genres are basically broken down into a larger parent navigation, simply using genre headings of “Sci-Fi” or “Comedy” and foregoing the subheadings of “Slapstick” or “Sci-Fi / Aliens.” The website offers users the latest releases and most popular movies/shows, but still allows users to search deeper if they want using the “search” page located within the navigation. Netflix has defined their structure by giving users “on the go,” quick selection options while maintaining the familiar functionality of their traditional website.
So the content challenge for companies is to streamline content, while providing concise messaging and maintaining a familiar experience similar to the traditional website. Many businesses struggle with this part of the process, but it is critical to the success or failure of the mobile website. In the next section we’ll look at how businesses can match the form and functionality together and delve into how to create unique user experiences.
Step 4. Design
Designing a mobile website may seem like a straight forward project for web designers, but looks can be deceiving and the challenge is in the details. Essentially, designers are using a very small canvas to create the mobile website, but on the other hand, users can appreciate the more subtle nuances of your website because it is a far more “intimate” user experience vs. the traditional website experience. In Step 1 I mentioned how this pertains to the iPhone and the iPad as they have a visual code that encourages users to move around the websites in far more tactile way by expanding images and shifting elements. It’s no surprise that the generations that grew up playing video games and using interactive toys have so enthusiastically embraced the iPhone’s abilities.
How does this relate to your business? Well the answer is that there are no rules, and you define the experience. Businesses that are creating their first mobile website should lean towards a moderately conservative strategy until they become more advanced. Having said that – if your business is working with a fantastic mobile designer or agency that has the creative resources and experience to tackle the project, then there is no reason to not take a few chances. Mobile users move on from features daily so if you develop certain features that don’t work as well as you had originally planned, you may find that users are very forgiving and a lesson learned is never a lesson lost.
The basics of your design, which I touched on in Step 3, are fairly straight forward. Developing either vertically or horizontally, with two, three or four columns, and with mobile-friendly graphics/images/ fonts is an excellent starting point. Luckily there are plenty of examples out there for you to view and get ideas from. Keep your business model as your main focus and the pieces will start to come together.
Step 5. Web Partners
Companies that are just getting their feet wet in mobile development should, at the very least, seek advice from those that have walked the road before. Someone that is experienced with this type of development can be tremendously helpful when it comes to helping you stay on track with your goals. Alternatively, you can hire a web design firm or web partner to help you with the overall process. I recommend using a strategic approach and limiting your options down to no more than two or three individuals or agencies before choosing your web partner.
You may ask, what should I look for? A question I hear very often. My advice is the same as if you were looking for any other service. Businesses should always reach out to peers, do research on different web partners (viewing their latest work) and checking referrals before determining which company is the best fit for the project.
Step 6. Releasing your mobile website
There are several key tasks a company needs to complete prior to launching their mobile website. Items like site registration and optimization can be carried out through your mobile website, because these items can impact the overall success or failure of your website. First, ensure that your desired URL is available. This could be disastrous if another company or individual has secured the domain before you. Website optimization is just as important because you will have spent a considerable amount of time creating the mobile website and the last thing you want is for users to not be able to find it because the website contains too many images or documents that slow down the loading process.
The next steps are to test, test, and then test some more until you are truly satisfied with your site’s performance both its load time, its features and the overall user experience which should ultimately match the traditional website. After testing and prior to launch, I would suggest you get your marketing team together and ensure that they “shout from the rooftops,” about your new mobile website – although actually shouting from the rooftops might not be a useful PR stunt unless your office is located in Siberia, but you want them to reach as many potential users as possible. Once the audience’s attention is captured, then it’s show time.
Step 7. ROI
A business’ true test for any project is whether it achieved a healthy return on investment (ROI). Depending on the amount of resources allocated to this type of project, you may have varying levels of success. With the current economy, post-recession, mobile development can be a very cost-effective way to expand your business’ online presence. The bottom line is once you’re in the game, then you can challenge your competitors, which is the ultimate goal. The future of your business is waiting – so get going!
The Big Tree Consultants 