RE: Best Practices document - not best practices

Dear All,

I am not entirely in agreement with this.  Just looking at these sites:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/

I much prefer the original non-mobile site even on my mobile because the photographs are missing from the "mobile" site.  Many site designers seem to equate "mobile" to "text only" and rich media is really a trade off between screen estate, time to load and content.  I am not clear that "one size fits all users" will really work for this.

Regards,

Kevin
 
-- 
Kevin Holley 
O2 Group Technology
Tel: +44 1473 782214 _ Fax: +44 7711 752031 _ Mobile: +44 7802 220811
IM: kevinaholley (AIM/MSN/Y!/Skype)

 


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From: public-bpwg-request@w3.org [mailto:public-bpwg-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Brian Fling
Sent: 05 August 2005 16:21
To: Nicolas Combelles
Cc: 'Tammy'; 'Tim Moss'; 'Paul Walsh'; public-bpwg@w3.org
Subject: Re: Best Practices document - not best practices



All,

I have to echo some of the comments being made, but especially  
Nicolas comments. I've been reading this discussion for... has it  
been two weeks now and while I haven't read every single post, this  
is the first I've seen that speaks to Mobile as another medium  
entirely, which is something I strongly believe.

Regardless of how the technology evolves, more powerful devices,  
faster networks, consistent display of content, there will always be  
a small screen and limited input restrictions. There will always be  
people that just want a phone-that might do some other stuff-driving  
market factors.

While today, we can use techniques like Standards-based design and  
stylesheets to display the same content on multiple mediums, that  
approach will never create the best user experience as the content  
was simply never designed for the medium.

This past fall I had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of mobile  
users at a field study. I can tell you that the mobile user views the  
medium very differently than the web user, mobile is seen inherently  
as a communication device, whereas a desktop PC is an information  
device. The two users have very different goals. While there will  
always be crossover and many shades of gray, the most valuable mobile  
content tends to be individual, personal and timely-a communiqué.

I believe it is the mobile communities responsibility to advocate the  
best experience for the user and support creating mobile versions of  
content whenever possible, not simply making the web mobile-friendly.

I think the MWI group is going to keep having challenges separating  
the line between convergence with the web, being that the W3C is  
heavily a web focused group, and mobile as a medium.

I feel that mobile as a medium has the greatest need for advocacy,  
education and community support, which I believe this group can  
accomplish. The mobile community should focus on defining the best  
practices for the medium first, and work with the web community on  
best practices to support the mobile experience second.

Thanks,
Brian Fling

e-mail: brian@flingmedia.com
mobile: 206/351-6060
aim: brianfling

www.flingmedia.com
www.mobiledesign.org

Received on Monday, 8 August 2005 12:11:13 UTC