Calgary Web site Design has seen a lot of change recently, particularly with the massive growth of the mobile Web. As mobile web usage increases, it will become increasingly important for web designers to adapt their design skills to the responsive web design needs required to properly display websites on mobile phones.
Here are some ideas for Web designers looking to bridge the Web and mobile environments:
Firstly, determine how your current site works on Mobile devices, but also across the latest browsers. An approach like this for different environments is critical since there are ongoing changes to browsers and platforms that may change the final look of your website. Ironically, now that we can safely design for a minimum of 1024 screen resolutions, we are now faced with the need to shrink Web designs down to 200px wide versions.
Thanks to mobile browsers, Web designs degrade well on these small devices, however, flash-based web sites or those with elements omitted by mobile browsers. a Calgary company may well need to revisit an entire Web site redesign. As it stands, there are three main routes to take with your web presence:
- Adapt your current website to the latest standards for both Web and Mobile. The Web is synonymous with change, and these are positive changes, making your current site more adaptable by focusing on responsive Web design. The extent of these changes will depend on how old your site is, the platform used, and how the content has been created and laid out.
- Create a new website, perhaps using your existing content, but with Mobile applications as a key focus. If this is the case, a client will be looking for a Calgary Web design team who can build for both desktop and mobile applications and will also focus on ways to merge a website with social media channels and habits.
- Build two separate Web platforms, one for Web and one for Mobile. With a successful Calgary Web development team, you will be able to deliver the same content to both Web and Mobile platforms. However, iPhone Apps, as an example, function in a different manner than it’s desktop counterpart, may be built with completely separate coding, plus detection software on the Website to send mobile users to this new mobile Web site.
Many Web designers will need to at least become proficient at these first two options and then partner with a dedicated Mobile developer to complete any mobile apps needed.
If you are a Web designer, whether you are in Calgary, AB or elsewhere, consider these design elements for your next Web design project:
Big Buttons – Good navigation is a fundamental part of Web design, and anyone who has surfed websites on a 200px wide screen knows that larger buttons make life so much easier! It is definitely possible to create buttons that fit well into a regular desktop web layout and also enhance the ease of navigation on mobile devices.
Vertical Menus – Due to the narrow screen of mobile phones, it just makes sense to sue vertical menu designs, since menus that go left to right across the screen won’t fit well. If horizontal menus are a must, then keep them short and simple and even consider using vertical submenus to supplement mobile use.
Reduce Content Images – Reducing the amount of content images will keep load time optimal, but they also improve the browsing experience on a mobile phone. One step up is to use smaller thumbnail images that are linked to larger images that can be displayed through a common “Light box” effect that pops the image up if the mobile user wants a closer look. This is a simple example of responsive web design.
Avoid Flash Content – Currently, iPhones and iPads do not display Flash animation because they do not support the flash player, so it is important that a Calgary web designer be careful when choosing Flash for a Web site; in the very least they should provide alternative content as replacement or use alternative script-based effects like JQuery.
Make pages “Tweetable” and “Likeable” – Obvious, right? Making sure that not only the main website has Facebook and Twitter buttons plus any other social media links needed but also make every article, video clip and gallery photo easy to share with a visitor’s social circle. Search engine accessibility for any site is key, but the other critical part is to make each site and its content as easy to share as possible.
If Web designers in Calgary have been shying away from mobile design, there is no time like the present to get started with some simple mobile design strategies. It simply makes for a better overall user experience and is forward thinking in a world that is increasingly going mobile.