With the introduction of the Apple iPad and the many variations of tablets found on the market it is becoming increasingly important for companies to tailor their websites to tablet users. The market share of tablets and iPads continue to grow, making it vital for web designers to understand the design implications of designing for screens that are smaller than desktops and larger than mobile phone screens.
Here are a few ‘do’s and don’ts’ of designing tablet friendly websites:
- Most tablets use mobile, not desktop browsers. Do not embody Flash if you want your website to be viewable on an iPad, for example.
- Do not have too many clickable areas close to one another. Good web design needs to ensure that navigation is easy to find and use for people who are scrolling with their fingers.
- Do not let too much media clutter the website. This can once again make navigation difficult for the user and could cause loading issues.
- After you’ve completed the initial design, access the website from a tablet and take note of any hang-ups. This should help you make the website tablet accessible while still permitting easy access from PCs and laptops.
- Add more “on the go” content to the website. Tablets users are mobile which means they might require some more ‘mobile-related’ content, such as Google Maps add-ins and other related applications.
- Be mindful that the font requirements are different for tablet users. People using tablets will be moving around town, and may suffer from screen glinting when outdoors as well as screens which are smaller than most PC or laptop screens. So make sure the fonts are large and that you’re using easy to read colours and graphics.
You don’t want to fall behind the times – a tablet friendly website will give your client more exposure.
Need help with your web design? Contact WSI OMS today.