The Web Is Moving Into Our Pockets

A few years ago, browsing the web on a phone felt like a reduced version of the real internet. Pages were difficult to read, connections were slow, and many sites seemed designed for a large screen and a mouse. That experience is changing quickly.

The iPhone has shown how much a good touch interface can change mobile browsing, and Android is beginning to appear on more devices. Screens are still small, but they are becoming large enough that ordinary web pages can be useful. Faster mobile networks are helping too.

This changes a basic assumption for web developers. A visitor is no longer necessarily sitting at a desk. They may be on a bus, waiting outside, or looking for one small piece of information while walking through a city. The same website now enters situations it was never designed for.

Small screens expose bad design very quickly. A page with several narrow columns, tiny links, or heavy images can become frustrating. Mobile versions of websites are one solution, but maintaining separate versions can also create extra work. I suspect web design will need to become more flexible rather than simply making one desktop page and one mobile page.

Phones also change what information feels useful. Location can become part of an application. A map can know roughly where the user is. A restaurant search can become local. A photograph can be taken and uploaded without first moving it through a computer.

There is a social change hidden inside this convenience. When the internet stays in our pocket, being offline becomes less normal. Email and news can follow us everywhere. That sounds useful, but I wonder whether constant availability will eventually become tiring.

The mobile web is still young enough that many pages feel awkward. That may be exactly why it is interesting. Designers are being forced to rethink assumptions that looked permanent only a few years ago.