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Do I need to create a mobile version of the website?

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:14 pm
by mguise
Hi Community

I've been building a few websites here and their as a part time freelancer. I am starting to do this more and more as a full time job.

I have a very novice question and please forgive if i am posting this in the wrong area.

1. Do I need to design a mobile version of the website I create? or I should say mobile versions of the site.

2. Should this be handled as standard practice or do I need to charge my clients more? I mean should I handle it as an option and openly acknowledge that I have to design for mobile phones?

I test for IPhone, IPad and Android but that can hardly be categorized as designing a site for a mobile phone since these phones have the ability to display websites almost the same way as a regular site.

Which actually leads me to a third question.

3. Should I design a separate web site for an IPhone, IPad or Android.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Re: Do I need to create a mobile version of the website?

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:33 pm
by greyhoundcode
alistapart.com/articles/responsive-web-design

The above article is worth reading. It explores ways of making a design respond according to the type of device being used to view the site (ie, based on screen resolution) and also the limitations of that approach.

In terms of pricing, I guess that's a business decision. Will designing responsively or creating additional stylesheets cost you significantly in terms of time; will you market "mobile device accessibility" as something that is inclusive in all your work or as an optional extra; is it something you want to leverage as a marketing tool?

It's hard to say really as a lot depends not just on the changes to your working practices but also on how you intend to sell.

Re: Do I need to create a mobile version of the website?

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:12 am
by mguise
Thanks for responding.

That was a great read, thanks for sharing. Personally I find it hard to give up the control over the look of the page so that it is fluid and responsive to device that is used to view the page. I can't help but think, in the near future, as more and more mobile devices are introduced the process of designing a site for viewing on a desktop or a hand held device will become more streamlined. In the meantime we have to become flexible.

At this point I am thinking of marketing this as an extra option. I will also take into account my client and their targeted users. For example a local small business vs an international business. And their budget, how much are they willing to spend. If they opt not to pay more money for the additional mobile designs I will still adhere as strictly as possible to web standards.

Again, thanks for the feedback, it helped.

Re: Do I need to create a mobile version of the website?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:18 am
by Esspwebbb
mguise wrote:Hi Community

I've been building a few websites here and their as a part time freelancer. I am starting to do this more and more as a full time job.

I have a very novice question and please forgive if i am posting this in the wrong area.

1. Do I need to design a mobile version of the website I create? or I should say mobile versions of the site.

2. Should this be handled as standard practice or do I need to charge my clients more? I mean should I handle it as an option and openly acknowledge that I have to design for mobile phones?

I test for IPhone, IPad and Android but that can hardly be categorized as designing a site for a mobile phone since these phones have the ability to display websites almost the same way as a regular site.

Which actually leads me to a third question.

3. Should I design a separate web site for an IPhone, IPad or Android.

Thanks in advance for your advice.
You are doing a fine job but I will advise you to design a separate web site for IPhone.There is no need for IPad or Android because I find IPhone more user friendly.

Research Paper