There are many decisions to make and metrics to monitor when attempting to design an effective, positive, and engaging mobile experience, such as whether a mobile site should be created, or whether a feature-rich mobile app will be more appealing and will encourage greater results.
What many marketers fail to do, and the step that can have some of the largest impact on making the right choices, is to take a step back and ensure that the very basics are covered first, before trying to move ahead and get fancy. These basics are primarily site search and clear and easy navigation abilities.
Just because you feel that you’ve mastered the traditional web, it doesn’t mean that those same techniques will function in the same way using a mobile device. Laptops and tablets don’t work the same way, nor do smartphones and desktops.
For example, if your site offers options for hover-over navigation, then you still have to make sure that they are compatible with touchscreen device controls, or you will need to offer some other form of navigation ability.
To make certain that the site navigates as quickly as possible, use refinement techniques. These give both navigation and searching an ease and smoothness that is comparable to what the regular site provides when it is being used on a laptop or desktop computer. This is vital because navigation and searching is even more crucial in a mobile device experience.
Refinement is the key because there isn’t much space for these functions to occur on a mobile device, as they are smaller and the screen size is more limited.
