There are a number of studies one can cite, and everyday examples one can observe, that demonstrate that mobile device usage is on the rise. It’s almost too obvious to even mention. In fact, for many people, mobile is the rule and not the exception. Here’s just one article at TechCrunch with a list of stats.

Some of the numbers may surprise you, but most probably won’t. Still for most website creators, mobile is an area that sometimes doesn’t get the focus it deserves. As a business owner, on top of all of your other responsibilities, you’re just focused on getting a website up and running, and much less on addressing the specific concerns of mobile users. At a basic level, most websites in any form will “work” on mobile devices, but that alone is not enough any more. Today’s users expect more, and that requires tailoring the experience to the user’s device.

At Checkerboard, we take care of much of this for you. Unless special circumstances require it, the websites we build are designed to re-flow and adjust to the device being used. This is called “responsive design”. But even this is just part of the total task. Often, other context-specific features would be beneficial to mobile users. For example, if your website supports a brick-and-mortar business with a number of locations, it may be useful for a mobile user to know how to get to your location from wherever they are. This is not typically a need on a desktop computer. Or, perhaps your site’s content should take mobile users into account in some specific way. Because they are highly dependent on the situation, these things are not included as part of our core website builds. But they should be at least addressed and if not added to the website project, put on a “future enhancements” list for a later phase.

These are just two examples. Your specific situation may bring other considerations to mind. So whether you already have a website, are about to build a website, or redesign an existing website, be sure you are thinking about the mobile user. “It loads in a mobile browser” is not enough anymore, as more and more people are using the Internet on mobile devices and are becoming accustomed to tailored experiences. It doesn’t have to involve much, but do make sure that your website provides a satisfying experience for those mobile users.

Contact us to learn how Checkerboard can help you factor “mobile” into your web presence.