Digital Strategy, Design and Development
Digital Strategy, Design and Development
Mitchell Baker chair of Mozilla (makers of Firefox amongst other products) is giving a call to arms for mobile web development (BBC report). He feels that the same functionality should be available to the device in our pockets as well those computers we use on the desk or lap.
With around 4 billion handsets worldwide and with many modern devices having web browsers as standard features there has never been a better time to deliver web services to those on the go. With the ‘credit crunch’ already starting to have an effect what better time than now to take advantage of a market simply waiting in customers’ pockets? The Beijing and London 2012 Olympics will see billions of people wanting information and services on the go.
However, despite wide availability of web access on mobile devices, many consumers are still reluctant to embrace the mobile web. Reasons given include factors such as: confusion about cost, difficulty, a poor experience and simply not being aware of what their phone is capable of.
State of Confusion
Mobile phone network operators need to shoulder their share of responsibility for the reluctance of the market to embrace the mobile web. A visit to any operator’s web site will greet you with a plethora of confusing tariffs and special offers. The confusion is compounded since the way the individual operators are themselves subdivided into separate competing entities e.g. shops, web sites and telephone sales. Those wishing to use the web on the phone need to understand differences between surfing and downloads and which sites are free to access and which aren’t. The result is a confused market which is curious but reluctant.
To compound the issue many companies are simply not ready for the mobile web. Large lumbering aging web presences, which rely on fast desktop broadband speeds are left to slowly load on mobile phones or depending the technology profile to leave the customer disappointed as a series of small red ‘x’s on their mobile screen tells them that nothing will work.
Now is the moment
So if we really are ready to bring the mobile web to the worldwide market waiting in the pockets we need two things:
- Simple easy to understand price tariffs from carriers (preferably with realistic pricing).
- Mobile aware web presences from companies.
Many companies such Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Ebay have already recognised this and have sites that are specifically designed for the mobile experience. For those organisations that haven’t put the mobile world on their agenda now is the time to do so before they are left standing.
