Datasheet

Mobile Web Considerations
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13
Thematic Consistency
A web standards body, the W3C, uses the term thematic consistency . This is not, as you may think,
related to themes or the cosmetics of a site, but to the fact that according to the body ’ s “ One Web ”
philosophy, the whole Web should be accessible from any device — so given a specifi c URL, any
browser should receive the same content.
This is not to say that the same content should look the same (because the theming of a mobile
web page can be often very different to that of its equivalent desktop page), nor even that users on
different devices want to see the same content (because they are quite possibly in a different context,
looking for possibly very different things).
But the One Web philosophy is valuable and important, and indeed URLs should always be used
in a way that honors the Uniform adjective of the acronym. It would be counterproductive for the
whole mobile web movement if it were to become a disconnected ghetto of content targeted at one
type of device alone and did not share links, resources, and content with the vast existing Web.
When you are building your mobile website, think carefully about how its information architecture
is sympathetic to this: The same posts, pages, articles, products, and so forth should be easily and
consistently accessible from all types of browsers, even if their appearance and surrounding user -
interface may be radically different.
Brand Consistency
It is also important to ensure that your own website ’ s brand is preserved between its mobile
and desktop versions. There should be consistency between the theming, color schemes, and the
look and feel of different types of sites. If your desktop site is light and airy and your mobile site
is dark and cluttered, you will confuse your users, many of whom may remember what your desktop
site looks like and may fi nd it hard to correlate that with the mobile site, damaging their trust in
your brand or site.
The same goes for your logo, color scheme, feature images, graphical elements and so on; within
reason you should endeavor to reuse as much as possible between the two sites. Users need to feel
that they are interacting with the same brand while being given an entirely optimized, mobile -
centric experience.
Similarly, if your desktop site is renowned for a simple, cheerful, and highly effi cient user interface
and experience, your mobile users will expect the same of the mobile site. Indeed, due to its
constraints, a mobile website obviously needs to have even more attention paid to its usability!
A Dedication to Usability
With limited real estate (both physically and in terms of pixels) and often very different input
techniques — not to mention the fact that users may be in a more time - sensitive context, and with
a slower network connection — a mobile device needs to be presented with a site interface that
is as effi cient to use as possible. At the very least, consider carefully any use of excessive forms,
multi - paged wizards to complete common or simple tasks, or complex menus to get to critical
functionality. These are not likely to be appreciated by mobile users.
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