Websites for Mobile Phones and Tablets

Websites for iPhones, Websites for Smartphones, Websites for Tablets

The use of Smartphones and Tablets continues to increase and not just for phone calls and text messages. Smartphone and Tablet users are now browsing the Internet in just the same way as PC and laptop users. According to the Office for National Statistics mobile phone access to the internet doubled between 2010 and 2013 see stats Have you considered though if your website will work and look right on a Smartphone or Tablet?

Foxxweb Design can ensure that you have a version of your website that takes into consideration all the design features required for a Smartphone and Tablet compatible version. It is also worth noting that Google are now taking into consideration if a website has been optimised for smaller screens and are giving preference to those websites in search results.

Problems with websites on mobiles and tablets

If a tablet is being used in landscape mode (wide screen) then you website probably doesn't need any changes. Once however a user switches to portrait mode (narrow screen) the website may start to look cramped on screen. This will be even more the case once the website is viewed on a mobile phone (in either landscape or portrait mode).

Responsive design

Responsive design is where your website will change to suit the device it is being used on and how it is being used. We can create a responsive design website that will respond to the screen on which it is being viewed. Some of the things that will change as the screen narrows are the images which will shrink with the screen. The style of the menus will also changes as the screen narrows, so if you have drop down menus these may be difficult to use so we will replace them with a one button collapsible menu.

If the normal screen layout is two or maybe a three column layout we will ensure that as the screen get smaller the column layout is replaced and may choose to not display all images on the smallest smartphone version.

Restrictive technologies

Not all technologies that are available on a PC are available on Smartphones. The most obvious one is Adobe Flash™, which is not available on any of the Apple devices; the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Therefore if you are using Flash on your website when it is viewed on Apple device there will a blank area of screen.

Mobile screen sizes

Mobile phone screen sizes are relatively small so browsing websites that are designed for large monitors on Smartphones involves a lot of zooming in and out, panning, shuffling around etc. Therefore the design of your website for mobiles needs to take this into consideration and make best use of the small screen that is available.

Some examples

Below are the home pages for two websites that we have recently worked on to enable them to change shape and size when being viewed on such devices.

Please take a look at the following:
Premier Log Supplies
and
Optimair Air Con Systems

If you view them on a smartphone or tablet in upright mode them the menu's change as does the amount of content being displayed. If viewed on a tablet in landscape mode they appear as they would on a PC.

QR Codes

A QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a mobile phone readable barcode, sometimes referred to as a 2D barcode. They are scanned by smartphones (with a QR Code scanning app on them) and represent an URL or web address. So you can use them on you marketing material to send someone to one of your website pages.

Here's the 'catch' though, because they can only be scanned by a smartphone the person doing the scanning will be expecting to be sent to a web page designed for a smartphone. So if you're going to make use of a QR Code on your business card, flyers etc. ensure that they send someone to a smartphone optimised webpage.

Here is a useful website for generating QR Codes http://www.qrstuff.com/

If your website is not designed to take on board the above considerations it's highly likely that someone attempting to use your website on a Smartphone won't be on it for very long.

Please call us now on 01773 882704 or contact us via our contact page to see how we can help with smartphone and tablet compatibility for your website