A User-Centered Approach To Web Design For Mobile Devices

For the past few years, we’ve heard pundits declaring each year as “year of the mobile Web”; each year trying to sound more convincing than the previous. Whether 2011 will be the real “year of the mobile” remains to be seen, but what is indisputable is the fact that the mobile usage of the Web is growing and evolving. As it evolves, so does the mobile user experience, driven by advances in mobile device technology — from better browsers on basic mobile phones (or feature phones — remember the Motorola RAZR?) to the increased adoption of smartphones and tablets.

The term “Mobile Web” (although often criticized) is commonly used to describe accessing the internet using a mobile device. This definition is broad enough to cover everything from using a browser on a feature phone, to using highly customized apps on smartphones or tablets. “There’s an app for that” has made device-specific applications the rage of the day, with some companies starting off backwards with “we need an iPhone app” instead of first understanding what their users actually need when they are mobile, the devices that they use, and then deciding the best approach for going mobile, which may not be an app, but could be a mobile website instead. Mobile websites are universally accessible, less expensive to develop and maintain, and can be searched and accessed by most mobile phones.

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