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Mobile Web Applications: Getting Started

Learn about the benefits of mobile web applications, when to create native apps, and how to mobilize your existing services. Discover tools and techniques for developing mobile-friendly content and testing your applications.

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Mobile Web Applications: Getting Started

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  1. Get Started with Mobile Web ApplicationsOIT Lunch & Learn Jason Casden, Digital Technologies Development Librarian David Woodbury, NCSU Libraries Fellow

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  3. When to Make a Native App • Charging for it • Creating a game • Using specific locations* • Using cameras • Using accelerometers • Accessing the filesystems • Offline users * Actually available to web-based applications 3

  4. The Case for Mobile Web Apps “I believe that unless your application meets one of these native application criteria, you should not create a native application, but should instead focus on building a mobile web application.” — Brian Fling, “Mobile Design and Development” 4

  5. WolfWalk, Two Ways

  6. 6

  7. Our mobile services • Locations & Hours • Computer Availability • Book & Article Search • Room Reservations • GroupFinder message board • Reference Services • News & Events • Webcam Feeds • Link to campus mobile site

  8. Locations & Hours

  9. Computer Availability

  10. GroupFinder

  11. What to mobilize? • What services are currently available? • What services are applicable on a mobile device? • What services translate well to the mobile environment? • What tools can be created easily? • What would be fun to see?

  12. Don’t mobilize everything 11 links vs 100 links

  13. Mobile is not just shrinking the page

  14. Use only essential, relevant content

  15. Use only essential, relevant content

  16. Reduce options, simplify

  17. Limit data to mobile context

  18. Limit data to mobile context • For time oriented data, we assume current day & time • We assume action oriented

  19. Expose hidden, useful content

  20. Our tools • Mobile website • XHTML 1.0 transitional • CSS • non-essential JavaScript and AJAX • MIT Mobile Web Open Source Project • Leaned on pre-existing web services • Targeted higher-end devices 21

  21. No developers? • Tools that require only HTML knowledge • WordPress, iWebKit, iUI, jQTouch, Dashcode… • Good for static content • Rapidly becoming more sophisticated • Can help to build or prototype a mobile site very quickly 22

  22. No developers? • Vendors • Boopsie, Terribly Clever… • Can manage mobile development process for you • You may lack control over the final product • May be expensive • Doesn’t develop internal expertise 23

  23. Content Adaptation 24

  24. Testing CC BY-SA 2.0: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/3929189482/ 25

  25. Testing • Simulators and Emulators • Apple iPhone/iPhoney simulators • Android emulator • Internal listserv • Guerilla Testing 26

  26. Recommendations 27

  27. Be Agile • Rapid development cycle • Think iteratively • Adjust to change quickly • Avoid paralysis 28

  28. Play 29

  29. Collaborate • Campus efforts • External projects • Steal what you like • Improve it, so it can be stolen back 30

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