Our web designers understand this changing industry and the need for continual learning as new skills are required in order to stay up to date with the future. During recent years the boom of Internet users browsing using phones and other mobile devices has resulted in a need for web design companies to re-educate their own designers so that they are current and able to design websites that accommodate the future requirements.

Much has been said about the future of web design and the significance of developing sites that can be viewed across the spectrum of mobile devices. With the rapid expansion of mobile technology it is imperative that more web design companies develop sites that deliver content above and beyond the desktop.

Mobile technology research

Research indicates that within the next few years more users will be viewing websites via mobile devices than via any other means. Are you aware that over 40% of mobile phone users browse the Internet? It is for this reason that mobile Web browsing is said to be the most used Internet platform.

So what does this mean to you? At present many websites are not compatible and cannot be viewed or simply do not work on mobile devices, therefore from a business perspective it is vitally important for your website to function on mobile devices. That said, once a site is configured don’t expect it to look exactly the same as there are a number of HTML and CSS properties which are not supported by all mobile device browsers and may look different depending upon device and browser used.

Basic principles of Mobile Web design

A website configured to work across a multitude of platforms must be developed/re-designed to ensure compatibility, for example due to the smaller screen size of devices such as iPhones menu links need to be easier to click on which can be achieved by increasing the font size. Screen sizes differ therefore fixed width pixels should be avoided. Below are a few more areas to consider during any mobile web design.

• Tables should be avoided within the main layout
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) should be used to maximize compatibility
• Screen sizes of mobile devices should be considered and HTML wrote to suit these screen sizes
• Due to the viewing area on a mobile device your most important message should be at the top of the page
• Use jpeg or gif images
• Use back buttons as a complex link structure can be difficult to use on a small screen
• Mobile website page size should be kept to a minimum for fast opening

There are literally hundreds of other areas to consider during the design phase, the only real way to get it right is to use a web design company that understands the requirement of mobile devices.

To view an example of how a website should look on a mobile phone please visit wet-wellies.co.uk (using a mobile device of course) and you will notice that the design has been configured to automatically adjust/re-size to whatever screen size the site is being viewed upon. The coding was developed to ensure the site adjusts automatically for any mobile device.

E-Commerce on your mobile is known as M-Commerce

The importance of having an E-Commerce site that is configured for mobile browsers cannot be over emphasised; with the amount of people using a mobile phone to search for and purchase products is increasing at a phemoinal rate; if your websitedoes not view right in mobile browsers it may detract from the proffessional image of your business and send potential customers searching elswhere!

Phrase One Ltd is a UK company that design websites compatible with Mobile browsers, for help and advice don’t hesitate to contact us.