People want to access web sites from where they are, using the devices they are using.
Typically, this is in a mobile environment using a mobile device e.g. smartphone (a cell phone with a web browser), PDA, or cell phone.
- Most web sites are not built to be accessed by mobile devices
Plug-ins like movies, flash, and PDF files can not be accessed or read through most mobile devices.
- Graphic artists like to design web sites so that all aspects of the layout are tightly controlled. The position of each word is pre-determined. This is called absolute positioning. Absolutely positioned pages work well for printed brochures but don't work well for environments where the users have different screen/display sizes. Because the positioning and screen size have been specified by the graphic artist ahead of time, the browser cannot display the page in a way that is optimal for the end-user's screen size. Content may require horizontal scrolling to read a sentence, or may simply be illegible because of positioning and font size.
- Many forms are built with tools that only work on specific browsers. Mobile devices use older or simple browsers making these forms unusable.
It's True! Sales overviews, sign up forms, and information focused on people on the go works well in a mobile environment.
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