Users, businesses, designers, every player in the web community is going mobile. In fact, Google and Bing now tag appropriate search results as "mobile friendly."
However, as designers and developers transition content from desktop to mobile applications, they find the transition isn''t always smooth. What works on a laptop doesn''t always shift true to a tablet.

Recognizing this problem, Bing recently released a Mobile Friendliness Test Tool that developers use to identify weaknesses in their mobile applications.

Here are some of the key elements Bing''s tool tests:

Zoomability

Bing marks down sites that are not zoom-able. If users are unable to expand or contract the images on a page, or the page itself, then ratings go down. Members of Bing''s Webmaster and Mobile Friendliness Teams explain:

"...not using the scale-related viewport settings should result in your page being zoomable on most mobile browsers, but improper use of these settings (user-scalable, maximum-scale, minimum-scale) could result in hampering access to some content on the page. Some mobile-friendly pages prevent user zoom by design and we do take that into account before flagging it as an error. "

Plug-Ins

Incompatible plug-ins interfere with positive user experiences. When pages don''t load correctly, or load slowly, conversion rates suffer.
Opt for fewer plug-ins. Mobile users want speed and accuracy. In a competitive market, mobile users choose the fastest, most accurate site or application.

Page Elements (Spacing, Width, Links)

For the purpose of mobile friendly testing, page elements refers to how well various interactive elements of the page perform for the user.

For example:
• Are the links so closely spaced that it''s impossible to touch and open the one you want?
• How much scrolling does a user have to do in order to see important page elements?
• Is the page too wide for the user''s screen?

As a mobile user, you have probably experienced these issues first hand. You understand the need for apps and sites to work the way you expect them to work. Your clients expect the same.

For more information on testing your content, or designing and developing mobile friendly apps and sites, please contact us.