In recent years, the boom in mobile devices has caused more and more users to abandon their desktop internet browsers and opt for the ones sitting in their pocket. As a result, nearly 10% of 2011’s internet traffic was attributed to mobile device browsers. As more people are browsing the internet in this manner, it is important that currently standing websites, as well as newly developed ones, also include mobile friendly pages in their site.
Many companies have followed models put forth by sites such as www.amazon.com, with their widely known desktop interface for purchasing products. When the mobile markets started to pick up they developed a mobile site that operates in much the same way, but offers a friendlier user experience for those viewing it on a smartphone screen. This move to a mobile intuitive platform can generate an increase in traffic and user engagement with the site by up to 85%.
A push to a mobile platform such as this doesn’t have to be expensive either. On a recent client engagement, I developed a mobile version of their desktop website that was established prior to my arrival. While building the mobile pages I was able to reuse a lot of the code behind, but with some simple device detection logic I finished the project a lot sooner and cheaper than if I had to develop a new site form square one.
Currently, 1 in 4 mobile devices are smartphones, and with the relatively low incremental development cost, and the prospect that mobile device users will overtake the number of desktop casual browsers by 2014, the importance of developing mobile friendly sites in tandem with their desktop versions will increase and will be a great benefit to any client with public facing websites.
Mobile usage statistics courtesy of KissMetrics