Many clients wonder why their current web site cannot simply be changed slightly to fit on a mobile screen. Like many aspects of technology, unfortunately it's not that simple. Mobile phone browsers do not display sites in the same way as a computer - they render a web site to varying degrees of success and strip out all the encoded information. Sometimes what appears on the mobile screen looks nothing like the original site, particularly ones that contain tables, diagrams, photographs, and pictures - which don't translate at all well to a mobile interface.
Brand Attention offers the technical expertise to promote any company on a mobile compliant interface. We use only UTF-8 character coding with XHTML or XML (never HTML) and we keep the individual pages on the site short and to the point. We know from experience that mobile users do not want to scroll down screens of information.
Bearing in mind the great range of handsets in current circulation, mobile site development needs to aim towards the lower end of the spectrum. Many users will be looking at your site with a screen that can only display 128 pixels (width) by 160 pixels (height). That's only about 10 words per line, and you don't want pages that are all text!
We are also conscious of the need to keep up with developments in this fast growing sector. Mobile phones and PDAs are becoming more Internet capable - the iPhone, with its larger screen and Internet-friendly layout, is ideal for browsing. Very recently Google launched a new application specific for the iPhone, which uses AJAX technology to integrate Google services through a single interface on their mobile site.
In May 2006, a new type of domain, the .mobi, was launched in recognition of the growth of mobile users surfing the web.
Experts predict that by the start of 2010 the number of people browsing the Internet on a mobile phone will be equal the number browsing on PCs today. Designing a mobile site that will fulfil the needs of millions of potential users therefore needs some careful thought.
Many companies are now recognising the need for a well-designed mobile-compliant site: the mobile user market is expanding every day, and will continue to demand a better service. Brand Attention specialises in both mobile site design and advertising campaigns directed at mobile phone users. Our consultants are also experts in optimising mobile sites so that they are easily accessible to people searching on the move.
