Shift to Mobile
Posted Wednesday September 17th, 2014 by Levon Zadravec-Powell in Trends + Technology.
The “shift to mobile” simply refers to how the prevalence and breadth of mobile devices has drastically changed how content is both consumed and delivered. The number of mobile devices is quickly approaching the number of traditional computers, while the traditional website (and the traditional agency) cannot accommodate this new, emerging market of consumers. The shift to mobile is one of the most important turning points in the internet’s young history.
Modern Expectations
Early on, websites were static and merely presented information or provided documentation to research teams or other collaborative efforts. As the number of smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and other network ready devices increases, the barriers to accessing the world wide web lowers. Expectations could never be higher; users leave pages they consider to be slow, poorly laid out, or even outdated.
Modern Challenges
Outdated sites have never faced higher strain on their limitations. Viral marketing can send hundreds of thousands of users to visit a site that isn’t ready to handle the traffic when it is needed most. DDOS and spam attacks can cripple unprepared organizations for days, even weeks.
Modern needs have given rise to the level of sophistication required to produce a quality web product. Even mom and pop retailers want online shopping carts, membership accounts, social media integration and content management. Not long ago, a web application was only for corporate customers with massive budgets.
The Web Application
The web application is the latest incarnation in the way users consume online media. The big problem is that the modern web developer is just starting to show up to the scene. As the marketplace for web development grows, people with computing science and engineering backgrounds are pushing out the designers and artists who could previously use plug-and-play instant website solutions. These solutions are now competing with custom, tailored web applications that combine function and the strong designs that traditional web design firms have been known to produce.
Mobile-First Development
When producing a website, there have already been competing browsers, but now there are new screen sizes on mobile devices. The natural response has been to develop for mobile experience, then branch out to larger devices. The knock-on effect is creating better experiences for everyone. If content isn’t important enough for mobile, the desktop users probably won’t need it as well. This has placed the focus on really thinking about what is important and how the user will consume the media (really optimizing your site’s content should always be a goal). Overall, this is a change for the better!
The Impact
The shift to mobile has changed everything. People demand top quality content delivered instantly to wherever they are. The demand for technology is driven by over a billion online devices.
The Digital Revolution is well underway. To learn how your brand can utilize mobile campaigns to reach new levels, contact the GEM team today.
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