How to boost mobile ROI through smart mobile site design
Given audience media behaviour today, various experts reiterate the importance of a site that is optimised for mobile. Yet some of the biggest brands are lagging behind in developing and offering a good mobile experience to their consumers. The challenges are not only identifying ways to make a site mobile ready but also knowing that what is being done is right. Addressing some of these questions through advice data and research, Google partnered with AnswerLab to study more than 100 mobile users as they completed conversion focussed tasks across a diverse group of sites. From this research, 25 principles, under various broad categories, were developed to help companies develop a mobile site that both delights customers and drives conversions.
Top three findings from the research
Primacy of site search
Study participants with a specific need, especially those visiting retail sites, turned to site search to find what they were looking for. Participants were quick to abandon sites that returned irrelevant search results or a large set of results that they were unable to narrow.
Key takeaway: Ensure site search is visible on the homepage via an open text field, returns relevant results, and is equipped with advanced features, like auto-complete and filters, to get users what they want quickly.
Mobile site misconceptions
If presented a choice, study participants would often tap on the link to visit the ‘full site’ due to a perception that they’d be missing out on something by staying on the mobile site. Choosing the ‘mobile site’ implied to them that they were not getting the ‘full’ experience, when in reality, the mobile site offered most, if not all of the functionality in an easier-to-view format.
Key takeaway: If your mobile site provides the same content and functionality as your desktop site in an easier-to-use format, then there is no need to provide a link to the desktop site. If you do decide to provide users with a link to the desktop site, then use terms like “desktop site” instead of “full site” to be clear that both sites offer a complete experience.
Sites with a mix of mobile optimised and desktop pages provide a poor user experience
Unsurprisingly, it was easier for participants to navigate mobile-optimised sites on their mobile devices than desktop sites on their mobile devices. However, sites that included a mix of desktop and mobile-optimised pages were actually harder for participants to use than sites with all-desktop pages.
Key takeaway: To improve user experience, task completion and conversion rates, go all in and optimise your entire site for mobile. If launching in phases, then make sure users don’t have to traverse between desktop pages and mobile optimised pages to complete their tasks.
25 principles for a better mobile site design
Homepage and site navigation
1. Call to action – Front and centre
2. Keep menus short and sweet
3. Make it easy to get back to the homepage
4. Don’t let promotions steal the show
Site Search
5. Make site search visible
6. Ensure site search results are relevant
7. Implement filters to improve site search usability
8. Guide users to better site search results
Commerce and conversions
9. Let users explore before they commit
10. Let users purchase as a guest
11. Use existing information to maximise convenience
12, Use click-to-call buttons for complex tasks
13. Make it easy to finish converting on another device
Form Entry
14. Streamline information entry
15. Choose the simplest input method for each task
16. Provide a visual calendar when selecting dates
17. Minimise form errors with labelling and real-time validation
18. Design efficient forms
Usability and form factor
19. Optimise your entire site for mobile
20. Don’t make users pinch-to-zoom
21. Make product images expandable
22. Tell users which screen orientation works best
23. Keep your user in a single browser window
24. Avoid ‘full site’ labelling
25. Be clear why you need a user’s location
