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Nielson has released stats for the Top 10 Mobile Sites for May 2008.  Yahoo! Mail seems to have a great lead in unique audience but Google Search and the Weather Channel are not far behind.

The US is the global leader in mobile internet adoption, with 40 million US mobile subscribers (15.6%) actively using the mobile internet, according to a white paper (pdf) released by The Nielsen Company.In 16 countries tracked, the US leads in penetration, followed by the UK (12.9%) and Italy (11.9%), according to the report, “Critical Mass: The Worldwide State of the Mobile Web.”

nielsen-mobile-top-mobile-internet-channels-unique-audience-may-2008.jpg

Tags: mobileweb, mobile marketing

As you may know, I’ve been doing some reading on mobile web design.  Some of you may ask… Why?  Just get a WordPress plug-in or direct your site to Mowser, you say.

What I have learned through my time researching mobile web design is that the mobile web is not about bringing the desktop experience to the mobile user.  It’s about creating a mobile experience all on its own.

Sure for some sites “miniaturizing” the site will do just fine.  However, if you have content that is valuable to users on the go, creating an actual mobile experience for them could prove to be a key feature that separates your website from others.

Ask yourself, “What are users who access my site on the go looking to do?”

Creating a mobile web experience is still all about the user.  However, we’re not talking high-speed internet with 22″ widescreen displays.  Unless you plan on only targetting iPhone or Blackberry users, you’ll need to understand that at times you may have 128px of screen real estate!

There are both benefits and risks when you choose to create mobile-optimized content.

By optimizing your content for mobile devices, you may deny access to certain content based on what you think about your users and what type of content they want to, or can, view.  There’s also the case that you may need to maintain two sets of files, one for desktop and one for mobile.

On the other hand, many mobile users pay according to the amount of data downloaded.  A stripped down, mobile optimized version of your site will be leaner and download quickly.  This not only saves time in presentation, it saves the end user money by limiting the files necessary to download.

On that note… do you use the mobile web for a rich visual experience?

You may look at a picture or view a video, but when a user goes to a site via a mobile device, do you think there main concern is what it looks like?

Real Estate, Culinary, Shopping, etc, etc, etc.  The list goes on and on with the industries that could capitalize on creating a mobile web experience for their users.

Do you need to focus on creating a mobile web experience?  Maybe not.

But if you are, or are aspiring to be, a web designer/developer (as I’m sure many who read here are) then I’m sure you will have a client that could benefit from the mobile web experience.

As in all facets of life the question is, “What sets you apart from the rest?”  At this point in time, a properly thought out and implemented mobile web experience can do just that.

Tags: mobileweb design, mobile web, mobile web experience

We’ve all heard the following, “Content is King”.  Content is nice, but thanks to Cameron Moll I think the new saying should be, “Context is King”.

As some of you know, I’ve recently acquired a copy of Cameron Moll’s Mobile Web Design book.  I also have a full project load and am getting ready to sell my home so I haven’t had a ton of time to dig into it.

However, one section completely fascinated me.  Not necessarily because it was something I didn’t know, or because it was an in-depth revelation.  It fascinated me because it is so very true, but we don’t hear much about it.

This understanding has great relevance in mobile web design (let’s face it, what’s the good of content if a user can’t see it) but can extend far beyond to it’s Internet relative.

Remember, the mobile web is not the Internet on your phone.  The mobile web opens up new opportunities and challenges, for developers and users, to make our lives just a little bit easier and more productive.

Your content is of little value to users if it ignores the context in which it is viewed, manipulated, and processed.

Cameron Moll - Mobile Web Design

When you take something “out of context”, you are ignoring the surrounding conditions - whether words or graphics.  Unless you keep your site in context, you are going to ignore the surrounding conditions - namely your users.

Most users who access mobile content are accessing it on the go.  Let’s face it, would you sit at home and browse on your phone rather than your desktop or laptop computer?

This means a couple things… intermittent behavior, small screen viewing, and most likely one-handed use.  Adding links to phone numbers to invoke a phone call, or a link that will add contact details to a visitors address book are just a couple ways to keep your mobile content in context. 

C. Enrique Ortiz has a nice white-paper mobile context that’s a recommended read.

Your big idea will ultimately be of little value if it ignores the context in which users interact with your big idea. … Ask yourself, what is relevant to my users and the tasks, problems, and needs they may encounter while being mobile?

Cameron Moll - Mobile Web Design

Tags: mobileweb design, mobile web contaxt, web context, mobile web