Mobile Device Web Development
Design and development of web sites is taking on a whole new character with the proliferation of web access through mobile devices and, as with all things web-related, Unleaded Software is on the cutting edge of modern technology.
Mobile web devices – iPhones, smartphones, Blackberrys, etc. -- have been around in one form or another for several years, but they are taking the world by storm. Statistics show that in 2007, 176 million Americans were regular web users and that of number 30 million of them gained access through a hand-held mobile device – nearly 1/5 of the marketplace, and growing. And that was the year that the iPhone was introduced, so the numbers are obviously on the rise.
Many people just assume that their web sites just simply pop up on mobile devices in a somewhat smaller form and that’s all there is to it. However, smart web operators understand that not only do mobile web devices often call for separate, more-specific web design to fully optimize the web experience for the user, but that in many cases people using mobile devices to access the web use these devices in subtle and different ways than they handle desktop/laptop computers. It’s not just that the screen is smaller on a handheld device; the context of accessing the web from a mobile device often calls for a different set of presentation formats and entirely different action steps. Think of it this way: in the simplest terms, data entry on a hand-held device, and often on the move, is more difficult, time-consuming and tedious than on a desktop, therefore a mobile version of a web site by nature needs to be quicker and offer more “touch” control.
Two other things to consider: first, there are many different types of mobile web devices and a “mobilized” version of a web site designed specifically for one may not work in others; and, two, the evolution of apps that optimize mobile web devices is rapid and constantly changing.
Recognizing this, Unleaded Software has a team of web designers and developers well schooled in current best practices for “mobilized” web sites. We are experts is miniaturization techniques – reducing images and styling, as well as file sizes, to fit the smaller screens – and in simplified “touch-friendly” navigation so important for handheld devices. We also are among the leaders in developing handheld style sheets, enabling “mobilized” web sites to operate on multiple handheld platforms, as well as the development of automatic device detection software that seamlessly recognizes what type of device is accessing the web site – different handheld devices as well as traditional desktop/laptop computers – so that the proper landing pages can be displayed. And further, Unleaded Software brings senior-level development for the integration of CMS (content Management Systems), so that both mobile and main web sites can support Expression Engine CMS.
It is said that by 2010 a whopping 59% of the world’s population will be connected to web, some 4 billion people – and many of them, particularly in the emerging nations, come to it only through a mobile device. And more and more people with traditional web access throughout the US and the world are adding mobile web access to their technological capabilities, and they expect that the “mobile” aspect of that access will define the use, not the device, meaning that a mobilized web site will need to not only address the smaller platform, but also recognize it is being used in different ways than traditional web access.
Unleaded Software brings best-of-breed web site design and development to its clients, and now we offer cutting- edge mobilized web content and architecture techniques for today and tomorrow.