This presentation, given by Steve Butzel at the 2012 Connecticut Library Association conference, covers trends in mobile website design and possibilities for libraries. Library apps are critically reviewed while simpler, less expensive mobile website techniques are favored.
In addition, Steve discusses his Online Newsstand Project which improves access to library database content.
Steve Butzel, Assistant Director of the Portsmouth Public Library, Portsmouth, NH
3. Mobile & Smartphone Stats
Two in five cell owners (42%) own a
smartphone as of May 2011*
Since 83% of Americans own some kind of
mobile phone, this means that one-third of all
American adults (35%) are smartphone
owners.*
Morgan Stanley analysts predict that the
mobile web will be bigger than desktop
Internet usage by 2015
* Information taken from 2011 Pew Internet and American Life study, “Smartphone Adoption & Usage”
55. What seem to be the trends?
A branded banner image
A good attention grabbing visual
Some interactivity, transactions
Easy navigation
Ties to Social Networking Sites
Automatically hide the address bar
<body onload="setTimeout(function() {
window.scrollTo(0, 1) }, 100);"></body>
70. Some technical stuff (Thanks Brian)
Auto-Detect & Redirect Options
Testing on multiple devices
Tracking statistics
71. Auto-Detect & Redirect: Options
CSS (like Canton Public Library)
Bestmethod, but most takes the most work to
implement
Javascript
Runs in patron’s browser, so not totally reliable
PHP & ASP
Runs on the server, so better than javascript
72. Auto-Detect & Redirect: PHP
http://detectmobilebrowsers.mobi/
1. Download their main script to your webserver
2. Use their Function Generator to build the code
for your main website homepage
3. Edit your .htaccess to allow .html files to run
PHP code
4. Their FAQ explains everything
74. Test, Test, Test, Test, Test
Try your new mobile site out on as many
different phones you can find
Online phone emulators
http://www.testiphone.com
http://mobiready.com
http://validator.w3.org/mobile/
Firefox User Agent Switcher
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59/
75. Tracking Usage Stats
http://www.statcounter.com
http://www.google.com/analytics/
http://piwik.org
What to look for
Overall usage
Visitor location
Devices used
…all the usual stats
79. Other Good Web Resources
One Pager, (http://influx.us/onepager)
Jakob Nielsen, “Mobile Site vs. Full Site”
(http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mobile-vs-full-sites.html)
“Why We Shouldn’t Make Separate Mobile
Websites” (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/19/why-we-shouldnt-
make-separate-mobile-websites/)