Top Mobile Website Design Trends for 2012

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In 2011, the explosion of mobile internet consumption has brought with it an unprecedented wave of developments in mobile website design. In just one year, the mobile web landscape has changed dramatically, and the growing popularity of HTML5 and CSS3, amongst other developments, has played a pivotal role in expanding the realm of design possibilities.

With that in mind, here are the top mobile website design trends for 2012:


1.    Fingertip Optimization

When taking a survey of current mobile websites, it's more than evident that many are being built for fingertip navigation. Many elements including search fields, menus and images are created large enough to accomodate finger-clicking.
The tactile nature of today's mobile web experience should always be kept in mind when designing a mobile website.







 

 

 2.     Simplicity

Capturing the interest of today's attention-deprived mobile user is no small feat. Complicated mobile websites are clumsy and difficult to navigate, making it difficult for users to access the info they need on-the-go. For this reason, current mobile websites feature functional, minimalist layouts. With a fraction of the navigational choices offered by the full website, these scaled-down versions make the internet experience much more accessible to mobile web users, who are more demanding and time-constrained than ever.





 
 3.     White Space

 White space is a must for any good web design,  and its importance takes on special meaning in 
 the mobile realm. An instant detractor from any  mobile website, visual clutter can be distracting  and frustrating (picture those times when  you've clicked on the wrong link because there  isn't enough whitespace!). The most          compelling mobile website designs today are  built with this fact in mind.







  


4.    Increasing Number of Videos
       and Images                                                                  

With a rising number of unlimited data plans and the growing popularity
of the 4G network, concerns around loading times and data consumption are not as prevalent as they once were. Although it is always important to keep these factors in mind, today's mobile web designers have found more flexibility in creating visual interest. With this, there's a growing trend towards video galleries, image sliders and other forms of dynamic content on mobile websites. 







 
 5.    Designs Borrowed from Apps

 With the success of touchscreens, 
 mobile  website designers have used the 
 app layout, adapting menu items into
 buttons or icons similar to those found in
 apps. The result is a clean, icon  
 driven design that many mobile users  have grown accustomed to.













 6.    Social Networks Integration

The nature of mobile usage is incredibly social, so lots of mobile websites are 
catching onto this wave by incorporating links to all their social media channels,
along with incentives for "liking" them on Facebook or "following" them on Twitter. Whether they're waiting in line at the grocery store or having lunch with friends, the mobile web allows your business to establish a social, casual connection with your customers, one that's interwoven into the fabric of
their daily lives. 


 






 7.    Introductory Pages

 Many mobile websites feature an  
 introductory or opening page  
 containing only branding and a
 large background image. This tactic is a
 good way to instantly capture  
 interest and set the tone of the
 mobile website experience without  overwhelming your visitor with unnecessary  text or  calls-to-  action.









It's always important to note that while you need to keep aware of ever-changing trends, all aspects of your mobile website design should align with your larger mobile marketing strategy. To remain competitive, and to truly evolve your digital marketing presence, any mobile website design initiatives you take on must be firmly rooted in your business objectives.

All mobile screenshots were taken from mobileawesomeness.com.


If you're looking for more info on mobile websites, check out how Marqui can help you with your mobile web design and build, along with mobile website content management .

Posted by Nicole Capelo at September 16, 2011 2:30 PM

Comments

Tony Marshall

Hi Nicole,

That's a neat article and some of those examples look really nice.

You might consider adding a QR code to your articles when you mention a mobile website. For old techies like me with stubby thumbs and failing eyesight they are a godsend! Here's the one for the pcf.org website - here's one for Vespa - http://www.sayuconnect.com/mobile_check.php?action=check&url=vespa.com

You can grab the QR code image from there, or there are many other free sources on the web

Tony

Fashion Blogs

I loved all of these posts. A lot of these things we have, but I got some really great ideas.

Rasha

What nice blog! I was searching this type of blog for long time.

Thanks