The Mobile Website Difference

February 6th, 2012 · · Mobile No comments

Building mobile-ready websites is a very different proposition from building standard sites. The design is different, the technology is different, and in many cases even the purpose of the site is different.

In terms of technology, the key is HTML5. This is a relatively new web programming language that is key in building mobile websites. It allows for highly advanced interface as well as a wealth of potential content without having to resort to additional languages or technologies. For instance it’s not unusual for a website to make use of HTML, CSS, Java, Flash, and so forth. This jumble can often slow down the user’s experience; lead to different experiences depending on the user’s operating system, computing platform and Internet browser; require additional downloads; open up security holes; or lead to crashes due to overcomplexity.

HTML5, however, dispenses with many of these problems, providing a powerful yet efficient language that offers benefits that previously could only be found by using a range of languages. It’s highly stable and secure.

Design-wise, the combination of HTML5 and the touch-screen interface of portable devices opens up amazing potential for building mobile websites. Indeed, at the risk of sounding dramatic, it’s an entirely new paradigm.

Today’s websites are essentially static, with twenty-year-old conventions we all take for granted: menu bars, top images, text links, slideshows and so forth. But when using HTML5 to build a mobile-ready site, you can craft an experience that feels far more like an app than a mere website.

To see the difference, try doing a Google image search on a portable device. Instead of a grid of pictures, you get a slideshow of images you navigate by swiping the screen. Or try pointing your mobile device’s browser to the Toronto Star’s website — you’ll find it a completely different, and probably far more enjoyable experience than the standard website.

And that is only the beginning. HTML5 allows for media-rich interactivity the likes of which we have never seen. It will take the Internet experience, strap it to a warp drive, then fire it to the other side of the galaxy.

The revolution will be so complete that we can only begin to imagine what it will look like.