The Amazing New Mobile Web

Luke Beard

Lesson 3

It's no surprise that the amount of people browsing the web on a mobile device is speeding past desktop usage with no sign of slowing down. More and more people are getting their hands on a pocket sized device that is connected to the internet every minute. Designing for this split landscape of mobile and desktop to bring the user the best possible experience is an absolute must.

It, of course, brings its own set of challenges from a design perspective – especially if you think about just how many screen sizes there now are. In this lesson you will come away with a good understanding of mobile design patterns and how/why mobile is important.

Responsive Web Design by Ethan Marcotte

This is the article most consider to be the starting point for the responsive web design movement over the last 3 years. While this post covers a lot of technical aspects of designing for mobile devices, it also covers some solid basics for understanding that designing for web is no longer a fixed numbers game.

Think about what it means to design for a "flexible foundation."
This is Responsive by Brad Frost

One for the bookmarks. Take some time looking over the navigation patterns as this is where a lot of mobile sites trip up.
Overhauling mobile.twitter.com From the Ground Up

A great in-depth post from a company that would not be as popular or successful without their mobile experience.

Figure out how Twitter handled the challenges of designing the best experience for their users and how prototyping and iteration was key.
Not Your Parent's Mobile Phone - UX Design Guidelines For Smartphones

Take note of the section on input methods. The new methods of touch interaction available on websites is something to keep in mind at all times.

"Discovering new gestures can be a powerful experience for users"
Common Mobile Problems

Taking your first steps into any new design medium will always bring new problems to trip you up. This great '.net mag' post lists some of the common problems you might run into.

This post covers some technical aspects of mobile web design with some general theory and guidelines. Having a thorough understanding of how mobile websites are developed will help your design enormously.