Mobile Web Design

The Same Site, but Smaller

If you want your site to fit in your pocket, it should be tailored to fit

A responsive web design is the best fit for most websites. However, in unique situations, when the user goals and content are strategically different on a mobile device, the best solution is to produce a separate mobile presence.

If you build one site for full-size users and another for mobile devices, the site can automatically detect how your visitor is seeing the site, and then send them to the correct version. Mobile web design is about building another version of your site by adapting the design, content, and features.

Screenshots of the website Orbit designed for First Business Bank website

Design for Mobile

A mobile device has about one tenth as many pixels as a regular screen. And since form follows function, the mobile site needs it’s own design. The design should be simpler. Here are a few ways that the design of the mobile site can be adapted:

Use a one-column layout.
Use fewer graphics, save screen space and load time.
Use simpler navigation, so there is more room for larger buttons.

Content for Small Screens

If writing for websites is about being brief and to-the-point, writing for mobile sites is even more so. If visitors are unlikely to read a large blocky paragraph on a big screen, they’re even less likely to read it on the tiny screen in their hand.

Shorten your copy. Turn your sections into single pages. Turn your paragraphs into sentences. Edit, then edit again. Be brief.

Fortunately, managing the content on your mobile site is easy. Good content management tools can manage website content for both screens, big and small, from one place.

Mobile Features

Some features are a natural fit for smart phones. The following is a list of features that lend themselves well to mobile web sites.

Google maps, blogs, Twitter feeds, photo galleries, and video.

If you’re considering going mobile, web designs need to be adapted or built to use responsive web design. Orbit handles all designs and development work from within our offices on the north side of Chicago. Mobile web design has been part of our services since 2007. We’d be happy to help you consider the limitations, adapt your designs, and capture the opportunity.

How does your site perform?

From small design enhancements to entire site overhauls, a new design will boost results and make your visitors happy. Happy visitors become loyal customers.

Talk to Chris