, March 9 2009

Better Browsers Alone Will Not Solve the Mobile Problem

"Ignorance is bliss" the saying goes and it has definitely been true when it comes to adapting websites for mobile access. The Web wizards of the Silicon Valley didn't have mobile internet before the iPhone, hence designing for mobile never occurred to them as an important problem. Once equipped with iPhones, many assumed that the device is so good, their sites require no specific design work. The sites look OK right? They might, but that's not nearly good enough!

Web browsing on mobile shouldn't be a scavenger hunt.

Best-of-breed WebKit browsers offer an outstanding technical platform, but the best they can do is provide the user with a "keyhole" view of the desktop website. Sure, everything works, but the experience is hardly optimal. Content crucial for mobile (maps, phones numbers, schedules) is hidden away in the remote parts of the site. Content that's less relevant for mobile (big content segments, legacy plugins, etc) is prominently featured and takes ages to download. Publishers that really care about their users will certainly strive to do better.

Mobify is the answer to the problem that a browser's can't solve. It's not possible for a machine to certainly know what is the current intent of both the user and the site creator. A human designer must make a few quick choices about the mobile view of their site. Mobify is the only service that enables this creative freedom.

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