Mobile Web Solutions - What's the Best Approach For Your Organisation?

Users are now accessing the web on a vast range of desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices – all with varying capabilities and screen sizes. We've all experienced how difficult it can be to use a website that was designed for a desktop computer on the small screen of a smartphone. It usually requires a lot of zooming in and out and scrolling in all directions which makes it difficult to find the information you're looking for and, in short, results in a poor user experience.

So what is the best solution for delivering information and services to mobile web users in a usable, consistent and cost-effective manner?

There are a number of approaches to this problem. The main options are:

Optimise your standard website to be more suitable for smaller screens. This can mean limiting the functionality and content of your website in order to maximise its compatibility with multiple devices.
Build a separate mobile website with tailored content and functionality specifically for mobile devices. This means the full experience of your standard website remains intact but can create inconsistency and confusion for users, plus it requires development and maintenance of two or more sites.
Create bespoke mobile applications. This approach usually requires significant resources for development and maintenance, plus it requires the user to download and install the app on their device.
Use a responsive web design which adapts to deliver the optimal layout for the user's browser. This is a fairly new approach which retains consistency across devices, requires minimal additional resources and limits ongoing maintenance to a single site.

Each of these solutions has pros and cons. The right approach for you will depends on the objectives for your site, the nature of your content and the characteristics of your your target market.

The summary below highlights the key advantages and disadvantages of each of these options.

Responsive Web Design

Pros

Retains consistency of content regardless of device
Maximises usability and optimises user experience
Maximises availability and accessibility for all users
Requires minimal additional resources and only one site needs to be maintained
One single web address available to all users

Cons

Even if some of a webpage's content is resized or hidden, it will all be downloaded, so image and file sizes need to be optimised
As for all websites, it is subject to variable rendering of different browsers and devices.

Standard Website

Pros

Guarantees consistent content across all devices
Doesn't require additional resources for development or maintenance
One single web address available to all users.

Cons

Will render differently depending on the browser and device's capabilities
Is likely to result in sites that are incredibly difficult to navigate on many devices – poor user experience
Download times can be much slower if files sizes are large.

Mobile Website(s)

Pros

Allows developers to tailor content and design to the user's mobile context to maximise usability
Capabilities are increasing to the point that mobile websites can now have similar functionality to apps
Requires less resources for development and maintenance than a mobile application.

Cons

Results in inconsistent content between the mobile and main website.
Requires significant additional resources for development and maintenance.
Is subject to variable rendering of different browsers and devices.

Mobile Application(s)

Pros

Can deliver an excellent user experience and sophisticated functionality.
Full control over the design and functionality of the app.
Can provide an opportunity for a high conversion rate and/or revenue generation given the right product.

Cons

Delivers a different experience to that of a website
Requires the user to download the application and store it on their device
Require significant resources for development and maintenance
Subject to the platform's approval process
Only available to users with that particular device

It's a minefield of considerations and Squiz can help with determining and implementing the right approach for your organisation. Get in touch with us to find out more.

Contact:
Phone: