going mobile - jboye - 2011
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Going Mobile!How UVU Launched Their Mobile Initiative
Nathan Gerber Director, Web Development ServicesUtah Valley University
Introductions
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
What We Will Be Covering
Why we did it Research shows…
What we did We decided to…
How we did it “Baby steps, Bob, baby steps”
Tools we used CMS, sniffer, GA, lots of devices
Next steps Where do we go from here…
Can you find my son in this picture?
You Are Here
So, what’s the big deal with mobile?
Morgan Stanley – Mobile Users by 2015
Smartphones Outsell PCs
Mobile Phone Use, 2009 – 2011 80% of adults (18-29yrs) own mobile phones in
2010… no change from 2009
2009 2010 2011
Take a photo… 66 to 76 to 93%
Send & receive text messages… 65 to 72 to 95%
Send & receive email… 25 to 34 to 52%
Access the Internet… 25 to 38 to 65%
From Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC
E-Expectations: Noel-Levitz
24% may drop college after poor web experience
23% searched college websites via smartphones
Most desired web content: Information on academics… 54%
List of academic programs… 28% Cost related information… 30%
Do you have my program? How Much will it cost? Will I fit in?
Google Analytics for UVUFor President’s Report
1551% IN 8
MONTHS
(from 10,534 to 173,953 visits)
*Still only 2.5% of overall traffic
Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC
Build A New Mobile Site?
“Mobilize, don’t miniaturize”… anon.
“… 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
This Is How We Felt
Mobile web project
Web team resources
What We Did…You May Consider
1 Present data to President,
get buy-off
2 Best decisions on how, start
small
3 Add to it, change it, make it
better (input)
The Big Guy Has To Agree
Met with AdministrationShared our research
Found out which devices they have
Explained the need to those who don’t
Their response: “Ok, but don’t spend too many
resources and don’t ask for any more. After all, it is only 2% of our overall traffic.”
We approached it as an information item, not for approval(Learning to deal with HIPPOS)
Initial Decisions
“The user IS mobile, not just holding one.”
- Justin Gatewood, Victor Valley Community College
“Mobilize, don’t miniaturize”▪ Anonymous
“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
Now For The Tech Stuff(…well, sort of)
Native App or Mobile Web?
Native Apps
Pros
Controlled user experience
Use hardware features
Off-line usage Uses app code on
device
Cons
Develop for each platform
Different experience based on device
Cost/time to develop/deploy
Testing not as easy Upgrades/version
requires new download
Mobile Web
Pros
Cost/time to develop is less
Upgrades quicker Accessible to all/no
installation More discoverable
Cons
Customer satisfaction User
experience/performance depends on design
More difficult to access native device capabilities
No offline mode
App or Site – Future?
That is so last year!
Is there an app for that?
What about a framework?
Mobile Web – Other Questions
http://www.dmolsen.com/mobile-in-higher-ed/
Second Decision
What devices do we build for and support? iPhone, Android, iPad, iPod Why? Because our users have them
(and so do our Administrators)
Mobile Device Usage – World
Mobile Device Usage – US
Third Decision
How big do we make our first attempt? Start with info for students Choose top content Don’t try to publishing everything* Be willing to make mistakes* Be flexible* Design and redesign* Add apps where needed
*from TAMUmobile – HighEd Web 2010
Baby steps, Bob, baby steps
What Is The Top Content?
http://www.dmolsen.com/mobile-in-higher-ed/
UVUmobile
UVUmobile
UVUmobile Features
Width changes with device orientation
Page weight is light
Sniffs for mobile devices
Content coming from OmniUpdate (CMS)
Other system feeds presented by OU
Content is driven by user need (Content is King!)
Types Of Content – One CMS
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 existing web page
Special DIV, publish through XSL – CSS to present in mobile format
Content from other systems Use OU RSS features – CSS to present in mobile format
Fourth Decision
What comes after the first rollout?
User driven – feedback system
Focus on key audiences – Current/Future Students
Functions and features
What do our users need to do when they are mobile?
Three Phases of UVUmobile (at least)
Start with browser site Static content, links to other apps
Expand features User Services Add apps where needed Current and future students
The great merge Public site and mobile site come closer
together User needs
Tools Used
OmniUpdate Browser sniffer Analytics HTML 5 Lots of devices Some Emulators Other High Ed mobile sites
http://mobiforge.com/emulators/page/mobile-emulators
Next Steps for UVUmobile 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 to together In concepts, principle, driving factors
Other HigherEd Mobile Sites
http://www.dmolsen.com/mobile-in-higher-ed/?page_id=43
http://www.edustyle.net/gallery_mobile.php
When evaluating, look at: Design Usability Content Services Focus Keep mobile user in mind
Summary
Mobile is changing the way we view/consume content and services
Research, decide, modify as you go Choose what works for your institution Keep Admin informed CMS is a key tool – XML Get on board! Higher Ed is already
behind
“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
THANK YOU