Previously we’ve talked about network limitations for mobile devices, and limitations in the mobile device itself. Now we will look at the limitations of the user/design aspect.
No Hover State
The hover state allows users to know where they are going to click. It provides a very simple method to give visual feedback to the user. Not only does it help the user, they expect it… so when they don’t see it, they may be unsure of what to do.
Unfortunately, we have to leave this convention behind because it is simply to hard to include as the device would have to detect it.
Inaccurate Clicks
The lack of a hover state makes it more easy to have an inaccurate click. This is when the user intends to click on one item, and clicks on another instead. This is common for me at least, and I see if with other people as well. Small buttons don’t make it any easier.
Solutions: Luckily there are a couple of options. First, you can increase the margins between elements, so the user is less likely to accidentally click on an item that is near another click-able item. This is especially important if you have a list of links/buttons that you are offering.
Second, you can also increase the padding of elements. This makes a larger area for the user to hit, and thus more likely for them to click on the correct element.
Hard to Type
Of course, being smaller, as was pointed out in the device limitations article, makes the keyboard smaller. So when users have to enter in information, it is more likely to have spelling errors. Especially troublesome if the user is entering in a username/password or address.
Solution: Avoid making the user enter any information unnecessarily. If you can try to pre-fill information based upon your typical user, fill in a city/state based upon their geo location as detected by the phone.
You may also want to see if they can login via a professional service using OAuth, or similar service, so you can read their personal info faster and easier. Not everyone will want to, so leave it as an option, not a requirement.
Missing Context
In this case, it refers to a screen which is hard to read because the user can only see so much information at a time. Especially if the user has to scroll left and right to see all the page/screen. You don’t want to shrink the font size and make it harder to read.
Solution: Use a smart layout system, such as a responsive design or flexible design to keep the user from scrolling more than necessary.
No Right Click
OK. I admit, this is more of a power user problem – but that means it affects me. I like to right-click. I get to see code, save/print easily, etc. I miss that on the mobile web, but I’m not sure what I would do with it in such a small screen.
Working with the Limitations of the Mobile Web – User/Design Limitations was originally found on Access 2 Learn
