The Mobile Web is constantly growing and becoming a larger part of the way we access the internet. Cell phones, BlackBerrys, PDAs, Palm Pilots, and all of the like are growing enormusly. As a population we are always on the go, and mobile technology helps stay connected with the world around us. Is it worth building a mobile site? Well I’d recommend it. Let’s take a closer look!
Through research and design, I have built a mobile web site for 126 Studios. It’s important to have your web site be open to the public in as many ways as possible. It is important to stay connected. What does it take to stay connected?
- Easy Way-Through CSS Design
- With the advent of CSS [Cascading Style Sheets] you are able to develop a site and modify it’s style to fit the media type. This is the easy way around developing a mobile site. You develop CSS to fit the mobile public and the vast majority of the work is done.
- This is why CSS is a HUGE part of development. A stylesheet defines not only the look of the site, but the look of the site on a specific media type.
- The Hard Way-Through New Site Construction
- The Current Language is W3C XHTML MP 1.2
- XHTML Mobile Profile
- To be honest, this is the harder way. You build a mobile site that is tailored to the mobile public. Keeping the data specific to the end user.
- This requires a lot more work. You need to recreate templates and media to fit the design. Of course, the end result is a lot greater than just a CSS overhaul. The media is taylored to the media.
- The Current Language is W3C XHTML MP 1.2
- Facts, and Details
- Either way you need to design the page for a specific resolution. And a common question is, “What resolution”
- Go for the lowest common denominator, which through research seems to be roughly 240px wide. And wider, and it will still fit, but typically I don’t believe you will see any smaller…Typically…
- CSS doesn’t seem to always work
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- This is true, certain browsers won’t render the CSS. So keep the design simple, yet elegant. The best design is easy to use, and nice to the eye.
- Don’t use colors that make it hard to see either…
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- Browser Detection
- You may need to check for browser detection. If you have a mobile browser, you may want to send them to the mobile site. I am studing PHP, so I am not an advanced user-I borrowed the script from OSNews [here] or directly from the server [here]
- This scipt will check for a mobile device and send it to the mobile site…Not in the reverse.
- What if the user is on a desktop but enters the mobile address
- Current Project [2/15/09]
- Either way you need to design the page for a specific resolution. And a common question is, “What resolution”
Mobile development is growing, and it’s here to stay. Building and modifing is important for the site to work for the vast majority of the public.
I’ve developed a mobile site, 126 Studios Mobile, which is built for the mobile profile. I also have a Mobile CSS developed on the main site, 126 Studios.
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