Rob, do you really feel that there are rules that apply in every situation? I can see you feel strongly, but what do you think gives you the right to impose the things you prefer onto everyone else?
-Lee On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 10:35 PM, RobG <rg...@iinet.net.au> wrote: > It seems that every site that ever there was has decided to create a > "mobile" version of their site so that when I visit with my iPhone, I > get the mobile version, not the "real" version. While I appreciate > that developers are trying to improve my experience of their site, > there are a couple of fundamental design decisions that are completely > at odds with that goal. > > Firstly, do not lock mobile visitors into the mobile site. Makers of > mobile browsers have gone to great lengths to provide features to > acommodate normal web sites on small screens. Most users of mobile > devices are quite capable of using those features (tap-zooming and > panning being the most obvious) to browse "normal" web sites. > > If there is a need for a small, light-weight version of the site for > mobile users, by all means make it availble but *please* provide a > "Full web site here" button. There should also be a button from the > main site to the light-weight site, as many "desktop" visitors may > prefer to use the slimed-down interface and simpler functionality > (i.e. they'd like to escape the often overloaded and crowded interface > of most web sites when they have a specific function to perform). > > I believe that sites shouldn't require two different interfaces, but > I'm very much into efficient functionality and don't care much for the > overloaded graphics and effects of many current sites. > > Secondly, do not, under *any* circumstatnces, disable zooming. Sites > that lock the scale at 1:1 are absolutely detestable. You are saying > to your visitors "if you can't read this font at this size, FOAD". > Most mobile sites use the smallest font they think they can get away > with, so when I'm on a crowded, bumpy train in bad light trying to > read a web site and I can't zoom in to get bigger text, I just leave. > And I don't go back unless I really, really must. > > Lastly, do not prevent landscape mode. That is the last resort for > attempting to get the font a little bigger and only emphasises an > ignorance of the needs of mobile users. > > There is absolutely no practical reason to do any of the above. > Designers must realise that users will make up their own minds about > how to use a site, and that they may use it in ways that the designer > doesn't expect. But when pages are downloaded to a users' browser, > they become the users' property and they should be able to actually > *use* the site in the way that suits them best. > > -- > Rob > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "iPhoneWebDev" group. > To post to this group, send email to iphonewebdev@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > iphonewebdev+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/iphonewebdev?hl=en. > > -- -Lee Andron 617-272-0936 http://www.linkedin.com/in/andron -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iPhoneWebDev" group. To post to this group, send email to iphonewebdev@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to iphonewebdev+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/iphonewebdev?hl=en.
