With the popularity of mobile devices steadily increasing, many developers are now charged with the challenge of creating web pages that can be viewed on them. Obviously, designing mobile phone web pages that are easy to read is very important because of the small screen size. Since many limitations with regards to location have almost been eliminated through the use of high speed CPU and memory chips and radio technology, the ability to access data online has become easier from a mobile phone.
Users accessing the Internet from home on their desktop PC are now able to display the same information quite easily on their mobile phones or PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistant), while commuting between home and work. It should be remembered, however, that information displayed on a large screen may not be all that readable when condensed into a smaller screen.
Web pages being designed today are generally created and tested on computers that use larger monitors. Although the modern mobile device has advanced technologically, its display screen is still relatively small thus limiting the amount of information they can display on one page. Designers now need to carefully consider how they are going to display information that will be displayed on a small screen.
Factors that should be considered include: how much color information to use (16 bit or 32 bit), the slower input of text, the absence of a mouse thus slowing a users interaction, scrolling is only possible vertically, commands executed by soft keys, slower data transfer, limited storage for data and the cost of transferring data.
Mobile device users, in general, would rather use a short URL in order to cut down on typing. Text links, however, should be long, making them easier to see and to tap on. Navigation icons should not be placed at the top of the screen, place them further down. Do not use too many text styles and sizes on one page and don’t use the special formats like italics or underlining too often.
If using images on a page, keep them small. Although the phone can zoom, having a smaller image will reduce download time. Images can overpower a page on a portable device and can detract from the information that is required. Do not position large images at the top of the screen as it can be tiresome waiting for a large image to download before the important data can be viewed.
The design characteristics of mobile phone web pages have been examined by this article. The following is a summary of the findings. Readability is a primary objective for a small screen. Choose colors, fonts and alignment very carefully. The order of the document should be well thought out, and last but not least, use images that are suitable for displaying on small screens.
Mobile website design is increasingly important for online businesses. A larger number of prospects and clients will be accessing your services and products through a mobile phone website as opposed to the traditional Internet.