Developing a Mobile Website - HighEdWeb Conference 2010

Developing a mobile website
Erick Beck & John Chivvis
Texas A&M University

TAMU mobile web:
m.tamu.edu
Bob Timm
Jeff Carouth
Callouts

2000
1600
1200
800
400
0
2007E 2008E 2009E 2010E 2011E 2012E 2013E 2014E 2015E
Mobile Users v. Desktop Users
(within 5 years)
Morgan Stanley Research – Global Mobile v. Desktop Internet User Projection, 2007-2015

I’ve never gotten good
reception in here.
Where have you
been living?
www.sxc.hu

Actually it’s time to go mobile.
• 2010: Mobile Web
• 2009: TAMUmobile for iPhone

Elements of Mobile Web Development
Native Apps vs. Web
HTML/CSS for mobile displays
Content for mobile website

Pros/Cons of Mobile Web
• Pros
– Cost/time to develop less
– Upgrades quicker
– Accessible to all/no installation
– More discoverable
• Cons
– Customer satisfaction
– User experience/performance depends on design
– More difficult to access native device capabilities
– No offline mode

The Future
www.sxc.hu
Is there still an app
for that?
That’s so 2009.

Has a smartphone
Has one, too.
Has one, too.
Has one, too.
Has one, too.
So do they.
So do they.
But not this lady.
The Future

Making the Transition
 Websites:
 fast, inexpensive development
 quickly conveying content
 Tapping into AJAX/CSS, improved browsers
for similar experiences across devices.
 App:
 high profile projects
 intensive graphics/animations
 self-contained/offline
 tapping into the device's hardware (camera,
GPS, accelerometer, etc.)

Mobile Web Design
 We've come full circle to
what those communicators
in the audience already
knew, “Content is King.”
 Focus on your content and
user experience and then
design accordingly.

Who to design for?
a) rockStar’s
iPhone.
b) OfficeJim’s Droid.
c) Carg0Dude’s TracFone.
d) creeper’s
Blackberry.
e) All of the above.

“Sir, the possibility of successfully
navigating the mobile user-agent
field is approximately 3720 to 1.”
Image - http://hubblesite.org/
Quote - Return Of The Mobile Stylesheet by Dominique Hazaël-Massieux, alistapart.com

Design ChoicesIcons
Lists
• Be consistent.
• Follow standard
conventions so as not to
confuse your users.
• Give the user the
navigational/UI experience
they expect.

Content Design
Mobile site needs
to be lean, fast
 Display the content
 Need a faster
method of getting to
their content
 Attracts high traffic
from desktop users

Mobile Content
“The user IS mobile, not just HOLDING one.”
-Justin Gatewood, Victor Valley Community College District
Mobile girl under
trees with mobile
device

Mobile Content
• Making a mobile website is not the same as making your website
mobile.
• Customize your content.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46550265@N02/4428701815/
Avg. NYT article length:
1,200 words
Avg. Online article:
250-500 words
Twitter length:
140 char.

Mobile Content
What do they want?

Mobile Content
But wait, why’s this here?

What’s the “A&M” stand for?
What’s an “Aggie”?
Analyze & offer
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
11/21/05 11/22/05 11/23/05 11/24/05 11/25/05 11/26/05 11/27/05
Overall
Mobile
Texas A&M overall web traffic v. mobile traffic Nov. 22-28, 2009

Lessons learned
 Don't worry about publishing everything at once.
 Be willing to make mistakes.
 Be flexible.
 Look for partners.
 Design & redesign.

Bringing it all full circle
• Integrating data
• New partnerships
• New features
• Updates, updates

Questions/Contacts
• Mobile: m.tamu.edu
• TAMUmobile (Apps & Web): www.tamu.edu/mobile
• Blog: webmaster.tamu.edu
• Web: www.tamu.edu
• Erick: ebeck@tamu.edu
• John: chiv@tamu.edu

Developing a Mobile Website - HighEdWeb Conference 2010

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