With the proliferation of responsive websites built using the html5 architecture, dedicated mobile websites have taken a backseat somewhat. However, a mobile website still has its place, especially when there is a requirement to have different functionality for the smartphone compared with the desktop site, different interaction with users and navigation may be required, simplification and presentation of content, if these elements are required a dedicated mobile website is the clear favourite.
For websites that require a lot of user interaction and more tailored mobile functionality, we recommend building a dedicated mobile website. With this approach, we address mobile specific challenges such as navigation, data entry, visibility, and load time to create a seamless experience for mobile users.
If you expect your users to buy products, access profiles, fill in detailed forms, or interact with other users through your mobile website, then building a dedicated mobile version is the right solution for you.
Mobile websites are an alternative to responsive website design, with mobile apps being yet another. To compare, a mobile website is separate from the desktop version of a website, while responsive website design is an automatically adjustable display of the content seen on the desktop version.
Mobile apps, likely the most well-known especially to iPad, iPhone and Android users, are self-contained applications that serve different purposes – from productivity tools to entertainment and gaming and everything in between.
While each has its strengths and weaknesses based on the intended purposes, mobile websites need to provide a user-friendly, memorable experience.
Essentially, you want to boil down the content from your desktop site to those elements that would be most useful to a mobile user. And a good rule of thumb is to offer a link to the desktop version of the site in the event that a mobile user is looking for content that has not been included on the mobile website.
At MobileAppify we work with a team of graphic designers to bring your brand to life according to your specifications.