Going Mobile
When I began working at Sprint PCS in 2000, mobile phones were still primarily for making phone calls. Screens were small and the quality of the displays were on par with second-rate scientific calculators. “Texting” was a rarity and the mobile web was as laughable as it was useless.
But it’s 2010 now, and oh how things have changed: The iPhone showed us what a mobile device could be; The Android platform dominates the mobile environment; and hundreds of devices have entered the “smartphone” market. The mobile web is no longer the joke it once was; it’s the front-line of the war for thecustomer’s attention, money, and for advertising revenue.
As of January 2010, the mobile web accounts for less than 2% of all global web traffic (shown below). “Morgan Stanley’s analysts believe that, based on the current rate of change and adoption, the mobile web will be bigger than desktop Internetuse by 2015.” (1)
http://techcrunch.com/2010/01/05/quantcast-mobile-web-apple-android/”
Like it or not, mobile devices are here to stay, and any company or business disregarding this medium and customer conduit does so at its own peril. If nothing else, a company’s website should be formatted for “smart” devices. For many sites, this will only require a minimal amount of effort, for others, such as e-commerce or web applications, it may require a significant overhaul.
Two factors to keep in mind when creating a mobile site are speed and technologies. Mobile devices don’t have the same horsepower and they don’t have access to many of the technologies that desktop computers do. Limiting the computational and bandwidth requirements for a site will go a long way toward making a positive mobile experience.
If your company is considering an “App” for mobile devices, it might be worthwhile to create a web-based mobile application first. After solidifying your offering, you can then make a transition to a “native” application. Several technologies are available which enable the creation of native mobile applications from web-based applications. You may also find that keeping your applications web-based allows you more flexibility.
Considering a mobile offering, but not sure where to begin? Contact me. I’d really enjoy meeting with you, learning about your company, and providing guidance on making the best choice to meet your company’s needs. The mobile landscape is as wild as the web was 15 years ago, there’s no reason to navigate it alone.
###Further Reading