There's an opinion amongst some people that - thanks to the increasing size and quality of smartphone screens - you only ever have to imagine one, set design of a website; however, it's one of those opinions that's complete twoddle.
Designing sites for mobile isn't just about different screen sizes - or viewports, as some people are now calling them - it's about context. People visiting your site want different things, depending on the device they're using, and where they're using it from.
Someone visiting the AA's website (www.theaa.com) from a smartphone isn't likely to be sorting out a new car insurance quote, but is far more likely to be looking for route information or a list of traffic blackspots. (The AA hasn't figured this out yet, but we're sure it will at some point.)
And, if you think you can ignore designing for mobile, your time is fast running out. According to Gartner Worldwide smarpthone sales reached 54.3 million units in the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 48.7 per cent from the first quarter of 2009, and in June Google announced 160,000 daily activations of smartphones running the Android OS.
Here we're showcasing the mobile sites getting it right: the 20 best mobile phone sites for 2010! These are the sites that every smartphone user should have in their bookmarks!
1. BBC iPlayer
The iPlayer continues to be one of the BBC's most lauded digital endeavors, and its optimised smartphone edition is the epitome of clarity and function. With just three primary nav elements (TV, Radio, Favourites), this is the perfect example of optimisation.
2. dConstruct 2010
Knowing your audience is vital when delivering sites to mobile devices, and the site for the dConstruct 2010 web design conference uses some nifty CSS trickery - known as 'media queries' - to restructure layout and present what's relevant.
3. YouTube
When you'd rather use the mobile version of a website than the bespoke app they've built for the job in hand, you know the site is doing something right. The mobile version of YouTube is a joy to use, helped by touch-friendly icons for navigation.
4. Twitter
Don't discount Twitter's own website: it has a clean interface, and you won't get bitten by maxing out your API requests, as can happen with third-party apps.
5. BBC
BBC Online employs 1600 people (according to bectu.org.uk), so it's no surprise that they put out some great digital products, such as the mobile version of the BBC's homepage. 'Customise your homepage' is given way too much prominence, but - that aside - the hierarchy is spot on.
6. McDonald's
Hallelujah! If there's an example of concentrating your mobile site to its very essence, then McDonald's is it. The site detects your location, and then tells you where your nearest franchises are, as well as including facility details and contact info.
7. H&M
'Find a store' is given prominence, as you'd expect, but as a showcase of its latest collection of clothing the H&M mobile site performs amazingly well, too, with further access to H&M's social media channels also available.
8. The Guardian
The Guardian's mobile site cares not for whimsy, but gets straight down to business. Information and findability is the order of the day, with coloured section bars distinguishing the breaks between categories.
9. Amazon
According to Colin Sebastian, of Lazard Capital Markets, mcommerce will be worth $2.5bn in 2010, so you can see why etailers are getting excited. Amazon's mobile site puts 'search' front-and-centre (do you see a theme emerging?), and is simple to use.
10. Facebook
Facebook continues to build on the work of mobile genius Joe Hewitt - who laid the foundations for Facebook's mobile app and website - by producing, in its mobile site, what is arguably a better experience than the fully-fledged desktop version.
11. Msnbc
Following a similar presentation style as the Guardian's mobile site, Msnbc separates categories via a series of bars as you scroll down the site in a linear fashion. However, an interesting touch is that by scrolling up when you visit the site, you expose a hidden list of category links.
12. Vimeo
On the face of it, video sharing site Vimeo looks pretty similar to YouTube's mobile offering. A closer look reveals that the Vimeo team has simplified things even further, and identified - on top of viewing video - three key site interactions: Like, Share, and Comment. Beautifully executed.
13. Yahoo
Yahoo deserves particular credit for trying something slightly different with its mobile site. Rather than simply present text links to stories and news, Yahoo's developers have created a story carousel at the top of the page: it works very well, and enables Yahoo to present its more image-driven content.
14. Flickr
We're back with the Yahoo posse for this entry, and as any Flickr user will know, being able to access your photos on the move is a fantastic option. Depending on how you use Flickr, the key sections are exposed via Activity, you, and Contacts.
15. Google
This is slightly unfair for Google, as we've lumped all their mobile offerings under one entry. Search, Gmail, and Maps are just some of Google's mobile-optimised websites and apps, all of which you should check out.
16. Digg
Despite Digg's mobile site being easy to use, and often held up as an example of how a complex site can be presented on mobile (and rightly so), there is simply too much pimping of the company's mobile apps. It's good to make people aware, but Digg goes that step too far.
17. Ebay
User experience is a key part of any mobile project, but there are some companies that know their audience so well, they can identify - by and large - exactly what it wants. Ebay is one such company, boasting great apps, and a mobile site that provides the functions eBay users expect.
18. Wapedia
Wapedia offers a mobile-friendly gateway to Wikipedia's 10 million-strong archive of content. Search takes top billing, and content is then presented in a single column, making it perfect for viewing on mobile devices.
19. The Onion
When it comes to satirical news, The Onion is the top of the class. This mobile site features the top Onion articles, as well as video that's also formatted for use on devices such as the iPhone and iPad, which don't support Flash.
20. Colly.com
This site from top designer Simon Collison is the only personal portfolio in our list, but is featured for its use of media queries (the new CSS technique we mentioned earlier). Though not perfect for every project, media queries enable you to create one site, and then serve different elements based on a visitor's screen size. A great technique for more personal projects, it's definitely worth reading up on.
Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/20-best-mobile-sites-712054#ixzz1C4tW7kyE
Designing sites for mobile isn't just about different screen sizes - or viewports, as some people are now calling them - it's about context. People visiting your site want different things, depending on the device they're using, and where they're using it from.
ReplyDeletegta 5 apk