Register or log in:

Forums

Refresh Louisville Forums » Design

One Web: Mobile = desktop (6 posts)

Tags:

  1. Todd Budnikas
    Key Master

    I really enjoyed this article and the view of One Web. I like the concept of designing with more of a mobile design approach and not bloating design just because it's on a wider screen on a desktop/laptop. However, as Cameron Moll points out in his book on Mobile Web Design the experience that a user goes through when using a mobile device differs greatly from that of the desktop experience, and these considerations should be part of the design process. I'm paraphrasing of course. So I'm left a bit conflicted and a lot intrigued. Got some thinking to do.

    A good read: http://resources.zdnet.co.uk/articles/comment/0,1000002985,39621546-2,00.htm

    Posted 1 year ago #

  2. Ricky Irvine
    Member

    This is a funny one. I mean, I'm all about simple design. I try to avoid putting anything in a design unless it serves some useful purpose. But how should purpose be defined? A "big picture of the train company's bearded chief executive, grinning broadly," could very well serve an important purpose in the perceived relationship to the brand. So, do we favor a designed mood by keeping the photo? or rather a designed function by ridding any graphic that doesn't serve an actionable purpose?

    It sounds nice to design just one version of a site and have it work perfectly in any view. But it seems as unrealistic (for now) as expecting a print document to be the same if printed on a copier vs offset press or even letterpress; or a set of text typeset automatically in Word vs customized in InDesign. We can get legible results from each, but we can do a lot better, which is why we have our jobs to begin with.

    It's an old argument now that the web is different, content is fluid, we have less control, etc. I know. But the Desktop Web vs Mobile Web seems to me more like the differences between offset and letterpress printing. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, and a good designer will design specifically with them in mind.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  3. Todd Budnikas
    Key Master

    So I guess a good question would be why we should subject users to brand exposure in one device versus another. Because the desktop monitor is larger? I get the same picture on my 13" TV in my bedroom I can barely see that I do at a friend's house with a 50" HD Plasma. I might get more detail, but the content is the same. And in reality, with the size of televisions today, the ratio in my TV example is probably pretty close to the ratio between common desktop monitors and some of the bigger handheld device screens. So is the television approach poor usability? Certainly nobody has complained or perhaps nobody has thought of it, or worse yet they don't care about my 13" TV. We're stuck considering and having empathy for our small screened users.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  4. Ricky Irvine
    Member

    Movie theater vs iPod Nano! Same content.

    Hmm.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  5. Ricky Irvine
    Member

    Cars, motorcycles, bicycles? Mouse, keyboard, touchscreen? Many same purposes, but many different inputs.

    Perhaps there is no One True Answer. Maybe it just depends on what you're working on, how the user ought to interact with it, what the user is trying to gain from using it.

    Posted 1 year ago #

  6. aboveaveragejoe
    Administrator

    Just read this, too. Where I think this concept really connects (and Ricky touches on this) is with the development of web content and ensuring that companies are truly gearing their sites towards those who use it. As with the "bearded chief executive" example, the spectrum of people coming to the site for the content that would most likely be associated with said photo is probably pretty slim in comparison to those looking to “do something.”

    Several years ago, it seems as if every website didn't really speak to an outside audience, both in the writing/language AND content. It was like an intranet or internal annual report on the web. And, while things seem to be getting better in regards to this issue (content of this “learn about us and our people” vein has been pretty easy to locate within the footer/site credits section of most modern websites), there is still some headway to be made, depending upon the client/business.

    In designing content for the web, I think we can do our best to make things as accommodating for the end user and the mobile/desktop environment as possible. We're still going to have to deal with working around advertisements and other client quirks that will go against our best practices.

    Posted 1 year ago #

Reply

You must log in to post.