Did you know that there is a whole new generation of people that experience the web for the first time via mobile devices like smart phones or tablets (iPad etc.) with an Internet connection? The explosion of online social networking has been a great contributing factor to the growth of mobile web usage. There are over 200 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices. A recent study by Morgan Stanley (Internet trends, April 12, 2010) predicts that the mobile web will surpass desktop Internet in size within the next five years. So, when is the last time you checked what your company’s site looks like when viewed on a mobile device? How did it look?

With the rapid development and growing popularity of smart phones like the iPhone and HTC Desire just to name a few, the mobile web can no longer be ignored. The growth of mobile web usage brings up several new points that we all must take into consideration. New devices not only change the format that we view web content in, but they are changing user behaviour and the situations that we use the Internet in.

Weather it is for real-time sports results, the location of the nearest restaurant, bus schedules or just for some entertainment to pass the time as you wait for your bus, the average mobile usage tends to happen in short, quick bursts throughout the day. Users rarely have the time or patience to dig through a vast amount of irrelevant information to find what they are looking for. Mobile content is expected to be at the user’s fingertips almost instantaneously.

Since browsing the web using mobile devices means that usage rarely happens in front of a computer at home or at the office, but rather on the go (walking in town, on public transport, in shops or restaurants etc.), the type of information that people look for has also changed. People search for useful tips, addresses, directions, opening hours etc. A lot of the content on traditional sites becomes irrelevant and distracting. For this reason, designing and publishing a site or mobile application specifically for mobile web users is fast becoming a universal trend. The sites best received by users are the ones specifically designed for mobile use, with limited content and a design optimised for mobile devices.

This is a challenge we are all faced with. We at Radikal are continuously researching the vast opportunities presented by the rise of the mobile web phenomenon and helping our clients adapt to the changing online environment. How does your site cater to the mobile browser? Is it about time to do something about it?

Sources:

Max Tandefelt, The Lounge Company, Netherlands / ECCO International Communications Network

Morgan Stanley, Internet Trends, April 2010

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