The need for instantly-loading and search engine optimised web designs has grown immensely in recent years. Mobile websites have to be compatible with iOS, RIM, Windows and Android operating systems. Also, mobile devices differ in sizes, for example smartphones, pads and tablets so screen size can be an issue. A web design that is adaptive, user-friendly, loads fast and is interactive will be appreciated universally.
HTML5 is a coding language that can create browser features to make the mobile web design more functional. The Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) method ensures that the website is simplistic and easy to maintain. Using HTML5, flexible content can be created suitable for social media cross-connectivity with the website. The language uses percentages to keep a good balance between style and functionality during the creation of a website. HTML5 provides tags that make touchscreen capabilities, mapping and location, web surfing, media functions, etc very easy to use on mobile devices.
Creating Functionality
There are some basic features that must be included in the interface during web designing for smartphones and tablets:
Easy To Design:
Functionalities like virtual keyboard, input boxes, email and social media, etc. that are suitable for touchscreen devices can be created very easily with HTML5. Adding a search bar and navigation tools will improve user experience.
Universality:
HTML5 is a coding language that is compatible with different mobile operating systems. So websites created with this language can be accessed by anyone from anywhere.
Viewport:
The viewport Meta tag can be optimized so that the mobile browsers will adjust to the screen size of each device automatically. Of course, this does not negate the zooming capabilities of the device. It only provides the first page optimized to a smaller screen with freedom to zoom in or out at will.
Controlled Loading:
Pages created with JavaScript or Flash, or those that have too many images take longer to load on the mobile device. You can control this by having subsidiary pages like related.html or features.html that loads without the images to improve functionality. The original page will load only on the specific request of a mobile user.
Link Creation:
With HTML5 you can create some of the most attractive and interesting tags for navigation within the site as well as links to social media marketing tools.
Online Calling:
Every business organization’s website aims at providing easy access to its contact details. In case of a query, if a potential customer can call your customer service number while he is surfing on his mobile, it is easier to convert him into a buyer. A lot of online business is carried out via mobile phones so including the HTML5 tag for this function is indispensable.
Media:
Handling media queries is another crucial necessity of mobile web development. HTML5 has less complex codes and will keep the file sizes lower so that they fit a variety of screens as well as load fast. Here usability takes precedence over appearance.
Applying The Aesthetics:
Once the website has a strong base with dynamic functions, you can add aesthetic value. This will sustain the interest of the visitor long enough to generate online business. So how do you go about doing so without hampering its usability? There are some easy ways to create attractive sites suitable for mobile devices with HTML5:
- Using separate style sheets to provide basic features for small sized mobile devices and enhanced features for larger screens makes the website flexible.
- Designing a wide scope for zooming to suit small screens of smartphones as well as larger ones of tablets is a good idea. This will eliminate the grainy effect of the zoomed image that can ruin a user’s web experience.
- How do you reduce HTTP requests so that the website performance on a mobile device is better? CSS can be used effectively to cut down the image requests in the browser. The images on your site will appear as small icons instead of thumbnails. This will definitely improve the loading time of your site on a mobile device.
An adaptive, portable and clutter-free website is more accessible to potential customers on a mobile device. Mobile web development with HTML5 lays the foundation for a comfortable and dynamic browser experience on multiple operating systems and worldwide networks.