Funworld November 2009

Screen Test

As smart phones sell in the millions, it’s time to come to grips with small-screen design by Juliana Gilling

THINK OF A SNAZZY PARK or attraction web site. Now imagine shrinking and squashing it onto an iPhone’s 3.5- inch, 480-by-320-pixel screen. Takes all the fun out of it, right?

With more than 40 million mobile Internet users in the United States, according to The Nielsen Company, plus millions more in Europe and Asia, it makes commercial sense to consider the experience of “mobile visitors.” Even so, it can be a daunting prospect because “when it comes to publishing content for mobile consumers, there are web sites, WAP sites, and mobile web sites, alongside the popular ‘apps’ and (as mobile web browsers become more capable) mobile web apps,” says Jon Cooper, CMO at PhindMeMobile.

But by following a few principles you can get your message across. Don’t start off by asking, “Can we adapt our existing, desktop-style web site for mobile phones?” says Cooper. Instead, focus on the outcomes you want by asking, “What are the business requirements of the mobile site?” Ideally, you’ll want to achieve these in a mobile-friendly fashion that will target the broadest possible audience using phones with any kind of web browser.

“A design solution must be developed or chosen off the shelf, which detects the mobile phone type and provides a style appropriate for the device’s features and capabilities,” says Cooper.

“The mobile device is a very different touch point,” explains Jose Villa, CEO of digital advertising agency Sensis. “The scale of the interface is smaller, which requires prioritization and an emphasis on key functionality. Mobile users expect to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.” Mobile-friendly design, like all good design, is about “solving a person’s need,” says Matt Manley, creative director at Acquity Group. Most are looking for real-time information.

“The mobile site should help people make the most of their visit. Focus on what people are likely to do inside the park,” says Rakesh Agrawal, product strategist for reDesign mobile. “The essentials include park directions, prices, maps, attractions, showtimes, and cameras. Sites should be ‘glanceable’ and require minimal text input.”

Provide activities that are popular with mobile users, says Cooper: “Why not aggregate the various social media related to your brand within your mobile web app? Imagine a hub where consumers can engage with candid photos [Flickr], videos [YouTube], streams of comments [Twitter], and new information [your blog]. Feed it all into your mobile site and you have a constantly fresh mobile social destination. Add a text opt-in service, so that your mobile audience can receive alerts, linking them back to the mobile site/app.”

Be creative with phone features such as GPS and cameras, says Agrawal: “I’d like to see parks giving mobile users the opportunity to click on a ride, get a time assignment, receive an alert 10 minutes before, and show their phones to enter the line. Buddy finders—enabling people to see where their friends are in the park—and a car finder would be useful.”

Smart phones are two-way devices, he adds. Use them to capture valuable information from visitors such as “one-click ratings of attractions or compliments for employees. You’re selling fun, so show real people having fun,” he says. “Invite guests to e-mail pictures from their camera phones and feature them in a live ‘fun ticker’ on your web site.”

Ultimately, if you want your sites to speak to mobile users, create mobile offerings that are fun, fast, and hassle free.

Juliana Gilling is a specialist attractions journalist. E-mail: julianagilling@gmail.com.