Designing a mobile website experience? Avoid these five mistakes
These are five mistakes companies make when going mobile and how they can fix it.
Designing a website exclusively for desktop users is no longer option in our digital economy. We are now a mobile-first world, so creating a great experience for all devices is imperative. Since iFactory has been around long before the first iPhone release, we’ve seen tremendous evolution in the mobile space. What worked ten years ago, doesn’t necessarily work today. With that said, there are some basic tenets of mobile website design that companies should follow to avoid costly mistakes.
These are five mistakes companies make when going mobile and how they can fix it.
1. Assuming the answer to going mobile means building an app
In most cases, apps are not warranted unless your business has an active niche audience, requires a deeper functionality, or is able to be used in the absence of internet connectivity (e.g. Spotify and Netflix downloaded content). If the intention for your app is to replicate the business website, why not consider a mobile website? It eliminates the barrier of getting your customers to download your app and does exactly the same job – for less money, and with increased flexibility.
2. Creating mobile and desktop experiences in silos
While many people use both their desktop and mobile device to access the internet, they use each one differently. This means marketers and businesses need to view the customer journey as a continuum, rather than a separate experience. An easy way to do this is by ensuring both mobile and desktop experiences are complementary.
3. Lacking a data collection/aggregation plan
Mobile insights will help guide the overall business. While setting up data aggregation for mobile is no simple task, it’s necessary for understanding your audience and how they use your mobile website.
4. Viewing responsive design as the only solution
Responsive design is usually the go-to for businesses who can afford multiple versions of their website; however design strategist Andrew Korf believes that those who can afford it should create a custom approach instead. “They need to deliver different content and experiences to desktop, tablet and mobile that is contextual to the device, the user, their state and their need,” he explains.
5. Integrating unfriendly content
Non-mobile-friendly documents, such as PDF or Word documents, are rarely functional on a three inch screen. It’s best to leave them out of your mobile web experience. Luke Kintigh, global content marketing strategist at Intel, also believes that infographics never work on mobile, regardless the simplicity of design. To make your infographics work for mobile, Kintigh recommends converting the elements into a slideshow or progressive scroll.
If you’re keen to create a mobile experience for your customers, iFactory can help. Our web development and website design team have been creating and building meaningful, responsive websites for over 13 years. Get in touch with us today for an honest and collaborative discussion about your website needs.
