Mobile Web

Griggs, K., Bridges, L.M., & Rempel, H.G. (2009). Tips on designing and developing mobile web sites. Code4Lib Journal, 8. Retrieved from http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/2055.

In this article, the authors make the observation that "sites designed specifically for mobile devices increase usability." This statement makes a lot of sense for a couple of reasons. First, the size difference between a classic desktop or laptop screen and the average modern smart phone is considerable. If you simply try to shrink a website that was specifically designed with a certain range of measurements in mind, you will not have the same experience on the smaller version of that site. Second, in general mobile websites are used for different purposes than their traditional counterparts. A user sitting at a desktop or laptop computer may have the time to sit and browse for the information they need. However, a mobile user who is on the go wants the necessary information readily available, whether they are on a college campus or a city bus.

The authors also make the valid point that website creators should take as much time to adapt the mobile site to different mobile devices as they would in adapting a traditional site to different browsers. One major goal of librarians is to determine a user's needs and serve those needs to the best of their ability.  If a patron is most comfortable using Firefox for their Internet searching and browsing, it would not be fair to tell them they have to use Internet Explorer simply because the library staff would not put in the effort to adapt the library site to both browsers. Similarly, it would be unfair to expect a Blackberry user to find an iPhone because the library website is best suited for iPhone viewing. In fact, the need to adapt to more than one device is even greater than with just the different Internet browsers. A desktop/laptop user could easily download Firefox for free if it would enhance their online experience. However, given the cost of smartphones, it is unlikely that the user of a Blackberry will also have ready use of an iPhone.

Finally, it is very useful that the authors of this article provide specific criteria/dimensions for mobile websites and analyses of major options for adapting a website to a mobile version.