mobile web sites :: warning! technical entry

recently, i took a class on creating iphone websites and applications.  although i learned a ton about how to make my website viewable and usable for iphone clients, i began wondering about all of the other mobile devices out there.  there are too many too count! 

in my class i learned how to determine what type of user is coming to my site thru something called the "user agent".  the user agent can tell me whether a client is viewing my site with a desktop browser, a mobile device (and exactly which model), and even a braille browser used by people with disabilities.  the problem with this is that there are sooo many mobile devices, i would have to write a script to test for each and everyone of them.  i would also have to update this code each time a new mobile model comes out.  this would be exhausting, not to mention frustrating.

so.  what's a girl to do?  well, think backwards of course!  what i mean is, instead of testing for the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of mobile models on the market, i began thinking about testing for desktop browsers instead.  there aren't too many of those.  and the most commonly used ones can be found here: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp. 

then!  then, i found this site:  http://detectmobilebrowser.com/ that actually generated the code for me!  i love it when that happens.  the idea is that the code generated will redirect the user to a different page if they are using a mobile device.

here is what www.cassandrapence.com now looks like on a mobile browser (or should look like anyway).

 

things to keep in mind while designing/creating your mobile webpage/site:

• iphones and some other devices don't display any flash objects
• a user from a mobile device usually wants to access information fast - they are not simply browsing around.  put you most important information on the first page (ex: contact info, menu, etc).
• every screen is different, so when styling, use percentages for widths, heights, & fonts instead of absolute values.

so, now is where i need your help.  i can't test my site on every mobile device out there...  i don't have that many friends.  if you have a phone with an internet connection and you have a little extra time with a kindness in your heart - please test my site!  let me know in the comments if it looks similar to the above or if it's totally wacked!  thanks & enjoy!