Gregynog 2011

The Mobile Web Alexander Roberts [email_address]

A new website needs...

A shiny new team to build it!

ISS Web Team
University Web Content Management System
Academic Application Development (Assignment Toolkit, etc)
XML Publishing ( http://www.dafyddapgwilym.net )
Anything else...
Using Open Source technologies such as PHP, Zend, Symfony, JQuery, YUI, Python, Django, SVN, Trac, Oracle Berkeley DBXML
Also MS .Net, MS SQL Server

...and JavaScript
‘ my attitude toward JavaScript has changed completely in the past few years. JavaScript has "grown up.“’
Mike Loukides (07/06/2011)
http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/06/time-to-learn-javascript.html

Writing code makes you look cool...?
With the advent of JavaScript libraries such as YahooUI, JQuery it’s now easier to create great looking user interfaces (UIs)
Or it just makes all our UIs look the same...

One ring to unite them all!

The bad old days...
Up to now all development has been focused on the desktop, however...

Google Analytics for May/June Total visits: 530,182

Mobile Analysis
iPhone currently at 1% of all visits to Swansea web site...

So what if...
...One day the internet changed from being accessed mainly on the desktop to being accessed mainly on mobile devices, and no one noticed?

Mobile vs. Desktop Internet
… within the next five years “more users will connect to the Internet over mobile devices than desktop PCs.”
Mary Meeker 2010 (Morgan Stanley)

The Science...

Emerging Mobile Technologies
Platforms: HTML5, iOS, Android, ChromeOS, Windows Mobile 7
Presentation: CSS3 – SCSS
Frameworks: JQuery Mobile, Sencha Touch, PhoneGap, OpenMobile

Web Apps vs. Native Apps?
Web Apps
Molly – Mobile Oxford, University of Oxford http://mollyproject.org – Python, Django – bespoke
Native Apps
CampusM™ - http://www.ombiel.com/campusm.html

Web Apps
Pros:
Can leverage existing skills within development teams
Much cheaper and quicker to produce than using a 3 rd party
Generally work on all mobile platforms
Cons:
Not able to leverage specific platform functions such as gyroscope, camera, internal storage
Device detection in HTML5 still problematic
Less personalised experience, e.g. lacking integration with iTunes app store

Native Apps
Pros:
Tight integration with hosting platform
More control of UI
Continuity of end user experience
Cons:
Requires many different builds per device type
Can be expensive compared to developing Web apps
Constantly moving target

Mobile First!
‘ Progressive enhancement’ strategy
Steven Champeon of hesketh.com
Semantic Foundation – basic content accessible to all browsers and users
Build up the user experience one technology layer at a time

Progressive Enhancement http://www.alistapart.com/articles/understandingprogressiveenhancement

Going mobile at Swansea
eStream campus ‘YouTube’ style video to mobile H.264/FLV
MS SharePoint built in mobile view
Blackboard
Quick Web Apps and Info for mobile users: PC availability, Library Opening Times, Course Search...

A happy place 
Progressive enhancement for all Swansea University web pages...?
Buy-in from all content creators (100+)
Establishment of strict protocols
Hard thinking
Pain

Credits
Alexander Roberts
a.l.roberts at swansea.ac.uk
Geraint Hywel
g.s.j.hywel at swansea.ac.uk

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Gregynog 2011

by gregynog on Jun 22, 2011

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