I’m a fan of the internet and use it to get information regularly. I’ve a list of sites I visit often to get my fresh new info on sports, the tech industry and much more. To get my football (or soccer for US readers) information I use a Dutch site called VI(.nl). It’s always up to date and easily lets you keep track of results around the globe. However I tried to visit it with my iPhone the other day and was presented with a page that can only be described as ugly, non informational and hard to navigate on. It was the first time I encountered a mobile version of a website and unfortunately many favorites followed.
Mobile sites are websites that are made specifically to work on small devices like mobile phones, mp4 players and touch tablets. Mobile characterizes itself with slimmed down navigation and a page that can be viewed properly on smaller resolutions and screen sizes. This sounds pretty good and many webmasters jumped on the hype and started working on a mobile version of their sites. A decision I will not take or even consider until the situations change drastically.
Many mobile sites are slimmed down to fit the smaller resolutions and make navigation easier. Obviously you can’t slim things down without losing content, most of the time. This brings me to the first problem with mobile sites. They just don’t hold the goods. My favorite site for football information lost its live score tracking system and displayed maybe a tenth of the daily news that the mother site holds.
Another problem is that the design is highly compromised. Almost always do the sites look like the offspring of unpopular desperate magazine. With a few bars and blocks stitched together. Watching them feels like a pain and is often a far cry from the original. What is what webmasters want you to see when they design a website.
Thirdly some sites, including my favorite football site VI, make mobile sites a permanent thing. Visiting with my iPhone (Which the sites immediately spot) gives me the mobile versions. Searching for a switch to the original often leads to lots of disappointment and a waste of energy trying. Luckily some do give you the options what I really appreciate. But obviously you shouldn´t have started on a mobile version to begin with.
Some may argue that it offers a better surfing experience on mobile devices. While that may be true for some (depending on device) I can say that it makes no difference on the iPhone. Mobile versions may need less adjusting on the screen but the cons far outweigh the benefits. With the biggest con being that you can´t do anything on mobile sites because there just isn´t enough space.
Long story short. I will not make a mobile version of my site until the situations changes dramatically. And I encourage other webmasters to stay away from the hype as it´s nothing more than a waste of energy and a bag of hurt.