Mobile Content Design: TAMUCC Website
In analyzing the front page of our TAMUCC website, there are slight, but substantial, differences between the mobile and desktop design to allow for ease of use. Here is a detailed breakdown of what works in each design for its designated platform and would could be tweaked, in accordance to what we have learned in our readings.
Mobile Design
The home page of our school’s website looks very clean. The first thing to note is the sliding banner that includes pertinent and current information that a student could possibly need at-a-glance. Not only does this follow the principle, prioritize high-use context, that we read about in 5 Principles of Mobile First Design by Kat Sears, but it also follows the goals detailed in What do you consider before designing for mobile. This follows the learning goals, knowing the audience and when they need this content and the use of a sliding banner makes sense with a mobile design. There are circle buttons that allows the user to check the details on the next banner slide to see if it pertains to their needs, however the banner could have allowed the user to swipe to see the next slide. Since it is on a mobile platform, this would follow Sear’s principles in a highly articulate fashion in the sense that the user will be utilizing their thumb to swipe through the website and this slight change would offer a comfortable experience since the banner is the focal point upon entering the mobile site (9 Principles of Mobile Web Design).
The Top Stories section that appears below this banner also lends a hand in the ease of accessing information and follows the same principles and goals mentioned above. The most accessed and latest information is supplied on the main page to allow users to gain information quickly and easily. The same goes for the What’s Happening on Campus directly below. Once again, quick and easy to access and the button orientation to find more in each section not only follows the Consider Orientation and Navigation principle that Sears points out, but also falls under the Make Menus Simple and Concise principle that Kim Speier points out in her article, 9 Principles of Mobile Web Design.
The mobile website is very easy to use and loads very quickly because it is not bombarded with oversized images and popups (9 Principles of Mobile Web Design). The easy to find contact information and various links to different information about the university is quaintly located at the bottom of the front page, again, making it easier to navigate (9 Principles of Mobile Web Design, 5 Principles of Mobile First Design, and What do you consider before designing for mobile).
Desktop Design
The desktop design is also sleek and clean. The sliding banner at the top of the front page offers two ways to navigate, to ensure ease of use: clicking on the desired arrow or button (9 Principles of Mobile Web Design, 5 Principles of Mobile First Design, and What do you consider before designing for mobile). The Welcome and Featured Event sections are merged together in the middle of the home page and is highlighted with a blue background to make it stand out. The main page is very clean and free of clutter that allows the user to easily find the information that he or she is looking for, which follows all the articles that we read, 9 Principles of Mobile Web Design, 5 Principles of Mobile First Design, and What do you consider before designing for mobile. The What is Happening on Campus section adds thumbnails of images that can be clicked on to enlarge and offer information on each, which not only looks cleaner and allows for a faster load time, but it adds a design that is unique to the desktop experience, as Spears points out in 5 Principles of Mobile First Design.
Overall, our school website follows all of the ideas that make for a user-friendly experience detailed in our readings by offering practicalities that cater to their accessed platform.
