Should you create a completely separate website for mobile devices with an entirely different user experience and user interface to the desktop site or alter the experience and interface suitable to the device viewing the website based on the viewport (screen size).
Having a mobile friendly website has become more and more important in todays market, where people are accessing the internet wherever they are using a variety of devices from mobile phones to desktops, and with an average of over 10% (and growing) of internet traffic coming from mobile devices
A couple of great examples of dedicated mobile builds would be Facebook, which has both a desktop site and a mobile site, Twitter which has the same approach as well as the BBC.
Having a dedicated mobile build means that you have greater control of the experience that the user has and in some cases they have been built to look like native mobile applications too. This does however has it’s down sides, mainly time and cost; the cost for initial build (as it is a separate project of sorts) as well as maintenance along with time for content for each, unless sharing the same content and also sharing (ever had some email a link to a BBC news item from their phone and trying to read it….. very annoying). And if another build is needed for tablets (somewhere between desktop and mobile), then another build may be needed. On the flip side; the main positive point regarding dedicated mobile builds is the complete control over the experience and interface meaning you can tailor the design and content for mobile users although with advances in technology the same can be said for responsive websites.
With a responsive build, it’s just one that can support as many devices as needed. Responsive websites work by controlling the layout based on the screen size of the device viewing it. Meaning that no matter what device is used to view the website, the content will be resized and in a suitable layout for the device, no more pinching to zoom in and out just a smooth scroll up and down with all the content there to be viewed.
Examples of responsive websites include Lancaster University and London & Partners.
All in all, whichever strategy you choose, having a mobile site is increasingly important with mobile traffic at around 12% of global internet traffic and growing rapidly by the day.
Time to get mobile folks!
Ally Pally website receives one million visits in a single year, with a 25% increase this year…
underscore developed a new design structure for the Alexandra Palace website, following a public consultation where over 2,000 people offered their opinions (which you can read about here). These improvements saw the website receive one million visits in a single year.
Following from further updates, this year Alexandra Palace’s website has enjoyed an increase of 25% in visitor numbers. This takes the total up to an astonishing 1.25 million visits in a year; a feat made even more impressive as the Alexandra Palace is a destination venue which does not sell tickets!
Numbers of returning visitors also showed a healthy increase wherein 33% of all website visits are users returning to continue discovering their Ally Pally. This figure helps to highlight the fact that, due to the number of high calibre events, the Alexandra Palace is increasing it’s profile as a destination venue and not just a one-off visit!
Further improvements were seen in the website statistics as the home page bounce rate has reduced by 6.3%; paying testament to the popularity of the dynamic, social and event-centric improvements we are making as the website, just like the venue, continues to evolve.
The last typewriter in the U.K was recently produced and granted to London’s Science Museum.
However many think a museum is the last place this machine should be placed…with a large body of people still buying typewriter ribbons and arguing that with no other distractions like Facebook or Google, and no spell check then it ‘forces you to think’
Indeed, often you are now seen as cool if you use a typewriter, with people even requesting them at their wedding days to give their wedding that romantic, vintage feel where guests can type them messages on their special day.
We at underscore think there is still a place in modern communication for something as iconic as a well typed document and that it would possibly inspire it to be more readily picked up and read by the recipient than a conventional piece of print.
So why not get up to the attic everyone and start an old school type revival before its too late!
With the 2014 FIFA world cup getting ever closer and closer the ultimate drinks brand Coca Cola have created a campaign to promote and push better sustainability throughout Brazil.
The campaign’s clever theme is to ask people for their plastic bottles so they can be re-used to create the linings of 6,773 seats in the Maracana stadium.
Increasing the culture of recycling is one of Coca-Cola’s objectives for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and it’s an area that definitely seems to resonate with the people, so there will be 100 collection points set up throughout the city where people will be able to dispose their plastic bottles.
We at underscore think this is a very clever way to better engage your customers whilst promoting a healthy brand association with the benefits of having a sustainable approach to business and everyday living. What do you think?
A London based designer called Benjamin Redford has created an old-school twist on Instagram through a miniature projector using 35mm slide film to present your Instagram images.
Use the projecteo to create as many wheels as you would like and showcase your photos the old-school way!
Each wheel can hold nine photos; whether you are in the mood to watch your wedding day pictures, your last night out or some of last summers pictures all you have to do is place your chosen pictures into the projecteo, twist the lens barrel and get ready to view your old school slideshow! If this sounds complicated, dont worry, as it involves a simple process of fitting a customised film into the wheel and then to change the wheels simply pull it out!
Projecteo will give you the best quality when used in the dark and ‘you will get beautiful looking images from a device the size of a matchbox‘
See the project on kickstarter