Just because your website displays on a mobile phone does not mean that it is mobile user friendly.

Mobile users typically use their phones to browse the web whilst they are on the go. Links and navigation on your site need to be easily seen and clickable with a thumb.

Most websites designed for PC/Desktop are unlikely to allow this ease of use. Although users can 'pinch n' zoom' to expand the screen, in practice they then have to scroll left and right making browsing awkward.

Click on tab 2 to see the mobile friendly version of this web site.

Notice how the mobile version of the Toys Direct home page features images and action buttons that are clearly visible to the mobile user.

Remember mobile users will be interacting with your website from many locations, whilst on the move and not always in the best lighting conditions. Many people 'dim' their screen to save battery life making clear and simple design even more important.

Mobile users are impatient and demand the ability to quickly find what they are looking for so you need a prominent and effective search facility.

Note how the main navigation and action buttons are all clickable with a thumb. Many users will be holding their phone in one hand and using their thumb to scroll and click.

Mobile user friendly or not mobile user friendly - which one would you prefer to buy from?

Toys Direct make use of features specific to a mobile phone:

Tap to Call
Tapping the telephone number brings up a dialog box asking the user if they want to call this number.

61% of users call a business after performing a search. Source: Google "The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users," 2011

Email
Tapping email opens the users email client pre-populated with toysdirect email address making sending an email very similar to sending an SMS text message - a feature mobile phone users are very familiar with.

Visit Us
Tapping 'visit us' opens built in maps apps showing the location of the business. Sharing their own location enables the user to get directions to Toys Directs' business.

More than half of mobile searches are local. Mobile users are searching to find local businesses. The use of location based features makes it simple for them to find you.

Simple easy to use navigation is critical for mobile users.

Many users will be using 3G whilst browsing on the go so giving your users the ability to drill down to an appropriate category before they open a new page is important.

Here the user can easily open categories and sub categories using their thumb.

The simple clear layout and design of the MP Direct website ensures ease of use and a rich user experience for mobile browsers.

When people are searching on the go they generally want information and they want that information in a straightforward uncomplicated and easy to find way.

With a catalogue of 60,000+ products updated daily an effective and visible search facility is a must for MP Direct.

The whole set up took only a few weeks and already MP Direct are receiving very positive feedback from their existing customers.

As innovators and one of the first in their sector to go mobile MP Direct are now rapidly learning how to make best use of their advantage. Already they are investigating online advertising specifically targeted towards their increasing loyal mobile user base.

1st Choice Spares are the UK's leading Car Parts finder with more than 1,000,000 New & Used Car Parts available and in stock from over 270 locations.

They offer a service where users can enter their number plate details, or browse through a menu of car makes and models, and receive quotations for car parts.

By using tabs for "By license plate" and "By Model" 1st Choice Spares make effective use of the smaller space available on the mobile screen.

Following submission of an enquiry 1st Choice Spares provide quotations to the user within minutes by email, text or phone.

"Good Morning. I Contacted your company about a part this morning, 5 mins later I had bought a replacement manifold. Thank you for the efficient service, I am impressed."

Filling in forms on any website tends to be a source of friction for users - we just don't like spending time filling in forms!

The problem is even more acute when using a handheld mobile phone.

Make sure you do everything possible to reduce the effort needed by users to complete forms. Here you can see 1st Choice Spares makes use of context sensitive on-screen keyboards.

When the user goes to the 'Phone' field the keyboard is displayed with numbers (as shown here).

If they select a text field such as 'Name', a menu with alphabetic characters appears, for 'Email' the keyboard contains the '@' and '.com' keys.

An analysis of Google Analytics data told Bedzrus that their main website was receiving an increasing number of visitors each month from mobile device users.

With a desire to offer a better experience to these users and fearful that a non-optimized site might drive customers to competitors, Bedzrus approached SayuConnect.

This was a significant decision for BedzRus as historically all web development had been undertaken in-house. Working with the SayuConnect team Bedzrus were able to fully integrate with their existing systems in a very quick and efficient manner.

Bedzrus offer their customers a sophisticated choice of shipping, allowing them to choose which days they would like to have their goods delivered.

The customers choices are dependent upon their location, determined by postcode, and the products they have selected.

This complex shipping module was integrated using a custom API provided by BedzRus. It includes securely submitting postcodes which customers enter on the mobile website to the API, then retrieving values which include delivery times, costs and an available range of dates based on the postcode and products in the shopping basket.

The end result is a system that gives the user more choice and flexibility offering an advantage to Bedzrus in a competitive marketplace.

Contact Lenses Express is one of the fastest growing direct to consumer, contact lens and solution suppliers in the UK offering a personalised customer service and competitive pricing.

Despite having an in-house development team, Contact Lenses Express opted to work with SayuConnect finding it a quicker and more cost effective solution allowing them to quickly establish a mobile web presence.

With a large array of brands and types of contact lenses they chose a clear simple layout that allows users to quickly drill down to the brand or type of product they want.

A prominent search box allows a user who knows precisely what they want to quickly find that exact product page on the website

Even complex user interactions can be completed within the small screen environment of a mobile phone.

Buying contact lenses online involves the user in providing significant amounts of information before the correct product can be supplied.

Note on this product page how the user is offered multiple select boxes and choices, ensuring every option can be easily selected using only a thumb.

Firstly the user can select the quantity of the item they would like to buy. Then they are required to supply specific information for each eye (information they get from their prescription).

Through the clever use of the space Contact Lenses Express have demonstrated that even the most complex products can be promoted on a mobile website.

Windsors CakeCraft supply cake decorations, sugarcraft supplies and cake decorating equipment. They offer a large and comprehensive range of products for delivery throughout the UK and overseas.

It's important that visitors on a mobile phone are automatically redirected to the mobile version of your web site. The Windsor Cake Craft web site detects when a user is arriving on a mobile phone and seamlessly redirects them to the mobile optimised version of the site.

At the bottom of each page of the web site the user has the ability to link to the full version of the site. This means advanced mobile users can access either version while casual visitors will get the best version for their device.

Checkout presents particular challenges on a mobile phone. Firstly, it’s a pain. Imagine trying to type a credit card number whilst holding your phone and your credit card all in one hand and you'll get the picture.

Another issue is security and privacy. Mobile users will frequently be browsing in a public place and do not want the risk of fumbling with their credit card whilst typing in their card details.

Windsor Cake Craft opted to use PayPal as their payment gateway. PayPal offer a very simple interface that allows users to login to their account and make a payment - foregoing the need to enter any credit card details. They also offer users the ablity to access their account using their mobile phone number and a PIN number (as seen in the screenshot here) making it even easier to pay.

Customers are not restricted to PayPal and can pay directly using their credit card if they wish.

Terete Hot Tubs supply and install traditionally coopered cedar wood hot tubs and saunas. The hot tubs are manufactured from high quality Canadian Cedar wood.

Extreme care is taken to ensure the highest quality for buyers of these luxury items.

Terete Hot Tubs needed a showcase for their products where they could capture the attention of potential customers and encourage either an email, phone call or visit.

Terete Hot Tubs have an extensive gallery of high quality images that show off their products.

Their image gallery allows visitors to 'swipe' images with their thumb as they scroll through the gallery.

Double tapping on an image zooms into it giving the user full control single handedly.

This provides users with an interactive image gallery that has the look and feel of a native app, something mobile browsers are very familiar with.

UK Financial Consultancy Services are 'whole of market' mortgage broker which means they have access to almost every single mortgage package in the country.

The challenge here was to give users the ability to quickly identify and open the page that represents their interests; and then present them with clear simplified forms to capture the information required to provide financial information and quotations.

The UKFCS site requires that users complete lengthy and complex forms.

On a mobile web site forms should be simplified as much as possible. The longer it takes to complete a form the higher the possibility of failure, either because the user becomes fed up with the task or the connection deteriorates.

Show only fields which are absolutely required to complete the process. Get rid of elements such as ‘Learn more’ or ‘What is this’. This will reduce visual clutter and simplify users’ experience.

On UKFCS all forms are clean and easy to use without any secondary or unnecessary clutter.