In my last post on tips for mobile marketers I left out one important point: know the needs of your audience. There is definitely a difference between the user that browses from a PC and the user that browses from a mobile device, largely dependent on their location and intentions at the time as well. With this in mind I thought it would be useful to take a look at a few mobile sites and discuss how they've gotten this right or wrong. Some of the main criteria I've used to judge them are the following:
- Remember that mobile users are task driven.
- Offer the same content, even if presented differently.
- Maintain a visual link between desktop and mobile sites.
- Ensure consistent navigation routes.
First off, let's look at a mobile site designed for airline passengers:
British Airways - Task Driven
British Airways, or rather Usablenet Mobile got it completely right with this mobile site, apart from its nightmarishly long url (maybe they are still testing?).
Where a PC user would probably be interested in all the services offered by the airline (not to exclude the mobile user), the person who is going to access the site from a mobile device is ten to one already at the airport and looking for specific information. On the go. Fast. No hassles please.
The BA mobile site, with its no fuss design, achieves exactly this.
- The main page consists of a short, but very useful list of options: mobile check in, arrivals and departures and phone numbers, to name a few.
- On the other hand, there is also a link back to the full site, should anyone, for whatever reason, prefer to view this.
Next up, a news/actuality site:
The BBC - Simplicity, Visual Link, Consistent Navigation Routes
BBC has always been known for their subtle stylishness and their mobile site and news offering stays true to this.
- Graphics are kept down to a minimum, perhaps not to conflict too much with the article images. Also because, after all, this is a mobile site.
- The look and feel strongly resembles the BBC’s main site identity.
- Plenty of inter page linking makes navigation a breeze, although the link to the full desktop version is hidden in Preferences.
- Colour changes are used to indicate different levels of the BBC and BBC News sites.
Moving on to Google:
Google - Visual Link, Specific Needs
With a whole array of mobile "web applications" (that is, if you don’t click the “Not in United States” link at the bottom of the page) on their menu, Google really opens up the Mobile Web to users everywhere.
Their lengendary search engine, in its mobile form, is very useful.
- In keeping with Google’s full browser service, the design is very minimalistic and to the point.
- Amongst other things, you have the option to search mobile sites or for mobile optimised content.
Last of the "minimalistic" sites, Facebook:
Facebook - Visual Link, Similar Content
Yes, Facebook has been mobile for a while.
- The mobile design follows the same simple, yet effective, styling of its big brother.
- Enough of the main site’s functionality is available in the "minified" version for it to be attractive to people with less frequent Internet access.
Nokia viNe - Consistent Navigation Routes
Nokia's Social Media project, viNe, has not been around that long and is actually still in beta. This little gem of a site pulls mobile off perfectly.
- The images all either stretch full screen or create the illusion that they are being “floated” right (the bottom menu background).
- Switching to landscape mode scales all images and banners, creating a near perfect browsing experience.
- Again, plenty of links between pages makes for easy navigation.
- The black background with white text makes the content “pop”.
- Banner ads (even though they advertise other nokia products) are not intrusive and blend in with the site, yet are eye catching enough to make you want to click through.
Another Nokia site, Ovi:
Ovi
Ovi pulls out all the stops, which is probably not the best example for the purpose of mobile marketing (they make use of pop-ups for log-in, for instance).
- Instead of explicit page links, this site employs breadcrumbs to good effect.
- All pages link back to the home page, from where you can pick another “category”.
Of course, all the sites above have been designed to be browsed on a mobile device. Therefore, viewing it in your desktop browser might be a very underwhelming experience.
The site that stands out for me is Nokia viNe (maybe I'm slightly biased towards Nokia). It achieves a combination of usability and usefulness and even slips in subtle advertising, while looking pretty attractive at the same time.
By all means, take the best from all these sites, but remember to start with understanding the needs of your users. Which are your favourite mobile sites, and why?
Onwards and upwards towards a better mobile future for all!
Did you find this post interesting? Why not check out:
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