Today’s post is by James Daniels. James is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading and knowing about the latest gadgets and tech, whilst offering views and opinions on these topics. For more information contact James here: [email protected]

In the last ten years or so, there has been a massive increase in mobile website and app design, mainly due to the massive migration of people surfing the web on their PCs to their phones and tablets.

Tips for Designing Mobile Websites and Apps


It’s quicker as you can just flick open an app and you’re there; there is no waiting for loading times or any of that other 20th-century rubbish. But I don’t know about you because I find that there is still a large portion of mobile websites and apps that are designed very poorly and aren’t friendly for this medium, and even at times just being the desktop version shrunk down to a smaller screen, which just won’t do.

If you’re thinking about migrating your site (or creating an app from scratch) to mobiles, you may want to consider these point or tips, if you will.

Analytics

By using analytics you can see the most common phones that are being used to browse the site or app. This enables you to have insight into the target phones that you should be accommodating for.

Remember that people are creatures of habit and so they will just update to a newer model of phone or if they are changing supplier will just go to a site like unlockingsmart.co.uk and unlock their phone for use on a different network.

So pick the most obvious ones (along with the iPhones, of course) and cater to those to start with.

Navigation

I could write ten articles on the importance of navigation when it comes to app and mobile website design, but I don’t need to as Brad Frost already has.

The last thing you want is your potential customer or site surfer to get lost in the mess that is your app and just gives up and looks elsewhere for whatever it is they want.

Make sure your site is easily navigable and you will be fine.

Don’t be a Sheep

If you search online there will be so many rules and tutorials that show you exactly how to design a site or app and they are very helpful if you are completely clueless about what you are doing, but if you are confident in your skills (maybe you’ve already designed a couple of successful apps) then throw the rulebook out of the window.

Some of the great things in this world came from people taking the rule book, ripping it into shreds, burning the remains, and then using the ash as a compost fertilizer.

Just look at James Joyce’s Ulysses, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, or The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Test

This point seems obvious, but you will be amazed at how many apps and mobile sites are out there that are completely under tested.

They are very easy to spot and people will just ignore them. Make sure you test every step of the way by getting the development team to create prototypes and then get those prototypes thoroughly tested for functionality and bugs.

By doing this every step of the way, it saves trying to fix these issues once you have completed the app or site and testing everything all in one go at the end.

Let the creativity flow, don’t be a sheep, and be meticulous in your testing, and you will have an app or site for the ages.

Question: What tips do you use for designing mobile websites and apps? You can leave your comments or your questions, by clicking here.