This document summarizes Nathan Gerber's presentation on mobile web strategies for higher education institutions. It discusses how mobile usage is growing rapidly, especially among students. It emphasizes that institutions need to shift from just making their sites work on mobile to designing for the unique needs of mobile users. The presentation provides recommendations on starting small with high priority content, using responsive design, leveraging content management systems, and testing on various devices. It also highlights tools like QR codes, analytics, and emulators to help institutions begin developing their mobile web presence.

1. Nathan Gerber
Director, Web Development Services
Utah Valley University

2. Nathan Gerber
Director, Web Development Services
Utah Valley University

3. Nathan Gerber @nathangerber
 16 years Web IA experience
 Director, Web Development Services
 Noel-Levitz Associate Consultant,
Web Strategy Services Team
Utah Valley University
 Largest state university in Utah
(almost…one more student)
 32,000+ students
 28,000+ public pages

4.  Why mobile is important
 If you are still wondering after this conference, we need to talk.
 The questions we answered and why
 You’ve heard most of these already.
 Tools we found to be keys to success
 This, you might find interesting
 New mobile concepts…make you think…
 Possible shifts in the way we approach design, development

5. Can you find my son in this picture?

7.  Blah, Blah, Blah
 Yeah, we all know (now that we attended eduWeb 2011)
mobile is sky rocketing!
 But how big of a “shift” is it?

8. Dial-up 
Mainframe  PC
Broadband
MOBILE

9. 1.37 Billion
mobile phones sold in 2010
In context:
 1.2 Billion total PC in world
 1.6 Billion televisions

10. 42%
Percentage of teens in the U.S. can send a text
message blindfolded.
(They can type faster on a phone than a QUERTY keyboard)

11. “What is your favorite way to communicate?”
▪ Text Messaging – 68%
▪ Voice (mobile call) – 9.2%
▪ Facebook – 8.8%
▪ Instant Messaging – 2.8%
▪ E-mail – 0.2%

12. Mobile is huge!
It is coming like a tsunami!
It will impact us beyond just building
another website!

13. “Mobilize, don’t miniaturize”… anon.
- Anonymous
“… the mobile context is so different from the
desktop one it deserves direct consideration
vs. just mangling down a full-size site.”
- Drew Stevenson, University of Minnesota, 2010
“The user IS mobile, not just holding one.”
- Justin Gatewood, Victor Valley Community College

14. “It is not about making our site work on a
mobile device, it is about what our users
need when they’re mobile”
- Mobile Web Team, Utah Valley University

16. Know the problem you are
trying to solve
“If you don’t know where you are going,
any old ticket will do”

17. AUDIENCE?
Who are we building for?
Current Students
PURPOSE?
To provide top for?
What are we doing it info
and services

19.  It is a matter of available skill sets
and/or resources for your mobile project
 Recommendation: Do what you can to
get resources and skill sets to do both
 To be mobile, you will eventually
do both!

20. Web team resources
Mobile web project

21. What devices do we build iPhone
for and support? +126%
 iPhone
 Android Android
 iPad +349%
Why? iPad
 Because our users have them +332%
(and so do our Administrators)
 Resources
Windows
Blackberry

23. Use campus-wide web team
 Input/buy-in
Present a strategy to Admin
 Information item
Use current campus resources
 IT, marketing, tech. students

24. 1. Mobile Web Site for key content/services
 Resources and time
2. Make your current site presentable
 Clean up CSS and layout
3. Mobile Apps – where needed
 Use frameworks for ROI

4. Responsive/Adaptive design restructure
 Learn and implement
5. Bring it all together
 One system, one site

25. http://www.dmolsen.com/mobile-in-higher-ed/

28. How big do we make our first attempt?
 Start with info for students
 Choose top content
 Don’t try to publish everything* Baby steps, Bob,
 Be willing to make mistakes* baby steps
 Be flexible*
 Design and redesign*
 Add apps where needed
*from TAMUmobile – HighEd Web 2010

29.  One code set – multiple mobile platforms
 Research ERP Vendor solutions
 Banner, PeopleSoft, Datatel
 Focus on mobile web, apps only where
needed
 Many different frameworks available

31.  http://colly.com/ - simple movement of
columns
 http://garretkeizer.com/ - fluid layout,
flexible images and text
 http://citycrawlers.eu/berlin/ - slideshow
drops out at small resolution

33.  W3C Mobile Initiave
 http://www.w3.org/Mobile/
 Several Mobile Approaches
 http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/07/11/
picking-a-mobile-support-strategy-for-your-
website/
 HTML 5 Boilerplate
 http://html5boilerplate.com/

34.  One of our most important mobile tools
 OmniUpdate
 Evaluate your CMS for mobile
 Content reuse?
 Mobile templates?
 Multi-format publish?
 Mobile tagging?
 Republish RSS feeds from other systems?

35. Where Is The Content How To Use In Mobile
Existing web page Publish through XSL – CSS to present in
mobile format
Piece of existing web page Special DIV, publish through XSL– CSS
to present in mobile format
Content specific for mobile, relevant to Special DIV, publish through XSL – CSS
existing web page to present in mobile format
Content from other systems Use OU RSS features – CSS to present
in mobile format

36.  Remember, it is about the content
contributors – ownership
 Do not split out mobile CMS unless
necessary
 If needed, look for ways to migrate to
appropriate CMS tools over time

38. Mobile Web
Source: http://xkcd.com

39.  OmniUpdate
 QR codes
 Browser sniffer
 Analytics
 HTML 5
 Lots of devices
 Some Emulators *
 Other High Ed
mobile sites
* http://mobiforge.com/emulators/page/mobile-emulators

40. 4,449%
How much the use of QR codes has risen
in the past year.
 For mobile use only
 Use a QR service with a URL shortener
 Consider QR codes an asset

41.  Creating a launch panel for other UVU
apps
 Create app functionality where needed
 Integration of OmniUpdate and other
systems data sets
 Continual migration of public site and
mobile together
 Responsive/Adaptive design

42.  Mobile is changing the way we
view/consume content and services
 Research, decide, modify as you go
 Choose what works for your institution
 Keep Administration informed
 CMS is a key tool – XML, RSS
 Get on board! Higher Ed is already
behind
 Be a mobile user yourself, best evaluator

43. - Mobile Web Team, Utah Valley University

44. Nathan Gerber
Nathan.Gerber@uvu.edu
@nathangerber