Mobile Web Overview

A comprehensive overview of mobile web, including mobile website design, mobile web app, and web technologies used for mobile apps. The first version was created in 2013 for a guest talk and eventually developed into a course module.
About Jack Zheng

Faculty of IT at Kennesaw.edu
http http www Mobile Web Mobile Web App
About Jack Zheng

Faculty of IT at Kennesaw.edu
http http www Mobile Web Mobile Web App
Mobile Web 
A Comprehensive Overview
IT 4213 Mobile Web Development http://it4213.azurewebsites.net
IT 4403 Advanced Web and Mobile Applications http://it4403.azurewebsites.net
IT 5443 Web Tech and App Development http://it5443.azurewebsites.net
Jack G. Zheng
Ver. Spring 2021 (Since 2013)
https://www.edocr.com/v/k52p5vj4/jgzheng/Mobile-Web-Overview
Overview
• What is mobile web and why do we care about it?
– Mobile web definition, scope, and context
– Differences and challenges of using web on mobile devices
– Key supporting technologies
• Mobile website strategies: independent mobile site, one web (adaptive, 
responsive, hybrid)
• Mobile web app and web technologies used for native mobile apps
• Development tools, frameworks, and services
• General design considerations and principles
• Learning resources
2
This lecture notes provides a high-level overview of mobile 
web. This overview is comprehensive to cover as many 
aspects as possible but keep them at the high level:
Data/Reports Relevant to Mobile Web
• http://gs.statcounter.com
– Web traffic by operating systems, device type/vendor, browser type
• http://netmarketshare.com
– Web browsing by device type (mobile accounts for about 50%)
•
Internet Trends by Mary Meeker https://www.bondcap.com/#archive
– Mobile usage as % of Web usage
– Time spent per adult user per day with digital media
• https://deviceatlas.com/blog
• Cisco Mobile Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast
– https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/service-provider/visual-networking-index-
vni/index.html#~mobile-forecast
– Average data connection speed
– Total of mobile connected device
– Average traffic (data usage) per device
– The percentage of mobile data traffic out of all fixed and mobile data traffic
– The percentage of mobile connections will be 'smart' connections 
– Mobile traffic per mobile-connected end-user device per month
3
What is Mobile Web?
• Web sites vs. web apps
– Web apps are also web sites, just more functional oriented; they are too delivered via 
browsers, and share the same web site UI design principles and practices. 
– Mobile web apps look like and are used like native apps.
– https://www.scnsoft.com/blog/mobile-web-app-types
•
It's mainly about user experience, particularly with a focus on user interfaces 
and interactions.
– Mobile web sites: focus on the optimization of web sites to be used on mobile devices.
– Mobile web apps: emphasizes functional features specifically designed for mobile devices. 
Web apps are also focused on functional features besides user interface and interaction.
•
It has also impacted the application level architecture:
– Single page app
– Progressive web app
– Serverless architecture
Mobile web refers to the use and development 
of web sites and web applications that are 
delivered over the Internet to smart mobile 
devices (and optimized for these devices).
Extended Meaning of Mobile Web
• Narrowly speaking, mobile web (sites or apps) 
is delivered to browsers. They are dependent 
on browsers.
• Broadly speaking, mobile web also covers the 
use of web technologies in mobile app 
development, where browsers are not used. 
These methods may include:
– Hybrid web app
– Use of web components (like WebView) to display 
web pages in native apps
– mBaaS, web APIs and services that are used by 
various kinds of applications.
5
CSE 3203 and IT 5443 only provide a high level mobile web overview module.
IT 4213 (the whole course) covers details of mobile web site design. 
Mobile App Development Options
6
Image originally from 
https://developer.salesforce.com/page/Native,_HTML5,_or_Hybrid:_
Understanding_Your_Mobile_Application_Development_Options
A program designed to 
run directly on a specific 
mobile operating system.
A web based application that 
runs in any web browser 
especially that designed for 
mobile devices.
Applications 
developed using 
Web development 
technologies and 
wrapped in a mobile 
app container
* New to the 
diagram: cross-
platform native 
app (Xamarin)
* New to the 
diagram: app 
like web site
https://www.scnsoft.com/blog/mobile-web-app-types
https://www.toptal.com/android/developing-mobile-web-apps-when-why-and-how
http://www.telerik.com/blogs/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-native-hybrid-and-web-apps-but-were-afraid-to-ask
http://www.sitepoint.com/native-hybrid-or-web-apps/
http://www.ymedialabs.com/hybrid-vs-native-mobile-apps-the-answer-is-clear/
Comparison of the Three Development Options
Native Apps
Mobile Web
Hybrid
Device 
features
Can fully utilize platform/OS 
features if allowed, such as 
camera, location, sensors, 
and interactions with file 
systems and other apps.
Access to devices features 
are limited to the browser 
environment.
Can utilize platform/OS 
features if provided by the 
SDK, which are usually 
provided as JavaScript 
APIs.
UX/UI
Best; smooth interaction as 
UI is very responsive.
Not as good as native app; 
may have delays.
Looks like an app, but may 
have performance issues.
Development 
Platform
Applications are platform 
dependent. They have to be 
written and/or compiled to a 
specific OS*. Example:
- Android (Java) ( Android )
- iOS (Objective C, Swift)
- Windows (.Net, C#)
- * Xamarin (all)
Web applications are cross 
platform and can use standard 
languages such as 
HTML/CSS/JavaScript. 
Programs runs in browsers, 
although they may have 
slightly differences in different 
browsers.
Hybrid applications are 
developed using standard 
web technologies, but 
complied to each specific 
platform.
Distribution / 
Installation
App Store, or direct 
downloaded; need 
installation
Web; no installation
App Store, or direct 
downloaded; need 
installation
App vs. Web
The old desktop vs. web?
8
http://xkcd.com/1367/
Why Web?
• What kind of apps is better with Web?
– Information and content focused (media, magazine, news, 
forum); simple interaction (mainly tapping for navigation); 
highly dynamic content; frequent updates.
– Example: Yahoo, Financial Times, Quora
9
Web has a broader reach
• Mobile Web Is Top Of Funnel, Mobile 
App Is Bottom Of Funnel 
https://avc.com/2015/09/mobile-
web-is-top-of-funnel-mobile-app-is-
bottom-of-funnel/
“The mobile web is the window of 
your store. Users window shop on 
your mobile website. Getting them to 
download and install and use your 
mobile app is like getting them to 
come into the store. And that’s where 
the action is long term.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-sCdS0sQO8
https://www.business.com/articles/mobile-
apps-vs-mobile-web-do-you-have-to-choose/
Differences of Web on Mobile
•
People use mobile devices differently because of their mobility
–
Prefers short and simple interactions
–
Use for multiple purposes and interactions between apps.
–
Mobile device is not the only platform; usually used together with other devices – multi-device experience
–
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/advertising-channels/mobile-marketing/device-use-marketer-tips/
•
Screen
–
Screen size is smaller http://www.statista.com/chart/2269/smartphone-shipments-by-screen-size/
–
Screen resolution is lower and density is higher http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html
–
Fragmented market: properties vary a lot among devices
–
Orientation: vertical screens accounts for 29% of usage overall
•
Interaction method: touch is different form pointing device like mouse
–
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/mouse-vs-fingers-input-device/
•
Connection and speed
–
Mobile device connections are less stable, inconsistent, and slower; variable connectivity; frequent switching among networks; limited bandwidth and 
usage.
–
https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=2441756
–
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/experience-design/speed-is-key-optimize-your-mobile-experience/
•
Device capability: 
–
Slower processors and memory
–
Limited multitasking and simultaneous browser tabs/windows
–
More device functionalities integrated: cam, mic, sensors, GPS, etc.
•
Browser capability
–
Compatibility: browser behaviors are different from desktop browsers
–
Fixed browser size (on the same device)
–
Viewport difference and automatic zooming
–
Delay: a more noticeable delay as the application resides on the web vs. directly on the native platform
– Weaker plug-in support, no Flash, PDF, etc.
10
https://www.paradoxlabs.com/blog/mobile-vs-desktop-10-key-differences/
Understand these differences and limitations 
will help us develop websites and applications 
tailored for mobile devices.
This subject will be covered in details in IT 4213 
module 2.
The Problems
• Why make websites mobile friendly?
– Non-mobile-friendly sites create user experience and functional problems
– Search engines also include mobile friendliness as in ranking -
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2018/03/rolling-out-mobile-first-indexing.html
– A real story https://cheekymonkeymedia.ca/blog/mobile-friendly-does-it-really-matter
• Design/content problem – not optimized for mobile devices
– Content too small and difficult to view
– Content hidden
•
Interaction problems
– Links are crowded and difficulty/inaccurate to tap
– Mouse hovering does not work mobile
– Slow and error-prone typing
• Performance problems because of connection issues and device capability
• Some interesting problems documented
– http://bradfrost.com/blog/post/mobile-web-problems/
– http://wtfmobileweb.com/
11
Use a tool to examine the problems! 
• https://testmysite.thinkwithgoogle.com
• https://ready.mobi
Major Problematic Sites
• Not mobile friendly (as of Jan 2020)
– https://www.cefconnect.com
– https://www.georgiastandards.org
– http://art.yale.edu
– http://berkshirehathaway.com
– https://www.weather.gov
– http://www.blue-ray.com
– http://www.senate.ga.gov
– https://finviz.com
– http://cobb.com
– See more: http://cubicle-h.blogspot.com/2018/08/website-mobile-friendliness-testing.html
• KSU web applications
– https://owlexpress.kennesaw.edu/prodban/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched
– https://kennesaw.curriculog.com/
• Particularly problematic for small businesses: 
https://medium.com/@dave_sloan/only-30-of-small-businesses-have-mobile-
friendly-websites-ad6ef9f71eb5
• See some studies here
– https://canonicalized.com/mobile-friendly-study/
– https://www.markbrinker.com/good-bad-medical-website-design
12
More and more major sites have been 
changed mobile friendly since 2013 
when this course was developed.
Mobile Web Friendliness Testing
• Mobile Web friendliness
– Mobile web friendliness can be helpful to think of it in terms of three goals for improving 
your site’s user experience: Presentation, Content, and Performance. 
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Guide/Mobile/Mobile-friendliness
• Testing tools
– Website based viewers
• https://material.io/tools/resizer/
• http://www.responsinator.com
– Automated testing tools
• https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
• https://www.bing.com/webmaster/tools/mobile-friendliness
• https://ready.mobi
• Loading speed test: https://testmysite.thinkwithgoogle.com
– Browser tools
• https://www.digitalcitizen.life/emulate-mobile-device-desktop-browser
• https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chrome-devtools/device-mode/
• https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chrome-devtools/device-mode/emulate-mobile-viewports
• https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Tools/Responsive_Design_Mode
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/devtools-guide/emulation
– Other tools
• https://www.browsersync.io
13
This subject will be covered in details in 
IT 4213 module 11
Use these tools to test the 
websites in the previous slides.
Key Technologies for Mobile Web
• HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript
– HTML5 represents a major advancement on the 
client development
– More powerful CSS3 and JavaScript make client 
applications more interactive and responsive
• Mobile browsers
– Mobile web are delivered through mobile browsers, 
which have reduced features than their desktop 
counterparts.
– Modern web browsers provide some new 
capabilities to create native-like web apps, such as 
launch from the home screen, run offline, access 
internal hardware, etc.
14
HTML 5 and Mobile Web
• How does HTML 5 play a role in facilitating mobile computing?
• Standardize mobile web development
– Eliminates the need to create, maintain, and support apps for 
different mobile platforms (native platforms)
• Enriches client processing and storage
• HTML5 provides a set of features and tools for building mobile 
apps
– Mobile friendly tags/attributes (number, phone - activate relevant 
phone features)
– JavaScript APIs to interact with device features
15
<a href="tel:+14155557777">Order Pizza Now!</a>
<a href="sms:+14155558888?body=Hello">Text me!</a>
Rise of JavaScript
16
•
#1 in GitHub since 2014
– https://octoverse.github.com/projects#languages
•
#1 in StackOverflow since 2013
– https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018
• Most in demand and salaries, 2015
– https://gooroo.io/GoorooTHINK/Article/16300/Programming-languages--salaries-and-demand-May-2015
– http://www.techrepublic.com/article/here-are-the-3-most-in-demand-coding-languages-and-where-you-
can-find-a-developer-job/
• Other rankings
– #1 The RedMonk Programming Language Rankings since 2015 
https://redmonk.com/sogrady/2018/08/10/language-rankings-6-18/
– #2 in student programmers in hackathon (#1 is HTML/CSS) http://studenthackers.devpost.com/2015.html
– #2 in Developer Economics survey https://dashboard.developereconomics.com/?survey=de15#mobile
• SharePoint/WordPress is moving to JavaScript
– https://arc.applause.com/2015/11/24/wordpress-javascript-calypso/
– https://developer.wordpress.com/calypso/
– https://developer.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/the-story-behind-the-new-wordpress-com/
Mobile Browsers
•
Mobile web are mainly delivered through mobile browsers. The use of web through mobile browsers has been increasing and passed the 
desktop browser use.
–
http://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet
•
Mobile browsers have a number of differences from their desktop counterparts.
–
The bad
•
Mobile browsers run with reduced features
• Weaker plug-in support, no Flash, PDF, etc.
•
No developer tools
•
Browser behaviors are different, like fixed browser size (on the same device), viewport difference and automatic zooming, switch between tabs, etc.
–
The good
•
Modern web browsers provide some new capabilities to create native-like web apps, such as launch from the home screen, run offline, access internal hardware, 
etc.
•
Browsers have increase its capabilities to work with mobile devices through browser APIs; many of these are part of HTML5. Common types of APIs:
–
XMLHttpRequest makes it possible to load additional content from the Web without loading a new document, a core component of AJAX.
–
Form field type to work with mobile input
–
URL type
–
The Geolocation API makes the user’s current location available to browser-based applications.
–
Offline use, data storage, etc.
–
Touch events, drawing
–
Several APIs make the integration of Web applications with the local file system and storage seamless (Indexed Database).
–
https://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/script
–
https://www.w3.org/standards/techs/mobileapp
•
However, the standardization of these APIs are more troublesome. Many of these APIs are browser specific.
–
https://developer.chrome.com/apps/api_index
–
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Using_the_Browser_API
•
Currently, two major mobile browsers are used (together represent over 80% of the market): Chrome and Safari (mostly on iOS devices) 
–
Chrome has been growing fast since 2014 to become the top mobile browser
–
https://netmarketshare.com/browser-market-share.aspx?id=browsersMobile
–
http://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share/mobile/worldwide
–
https://www.statista.com/statistics/272664/market-share-held-by-mobile-browsers-in-the-us/
•
Additional market share data
–
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers
–
http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php
17
Mobile browsers will be covered in details 
in IT4213 module 2
Mobile Website Delivery Strategy
Two basic approaches
1.
A separate mobile version site: has its own 
domain and address, and is independent from 
the main site. 
–
Ikea: http://m.ikea.com/us (jQuery Mobile)
– Newegg: https://m.newegg.com
– Nike: https://m.nike.com
– Staples: https://m.staples.com
– Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org
– Goodwill: https://mgwdonate.ging.org (used a third 
party service, more like an app)
2.
One Web
– One Web means making, as far as is reasonable, the 
same information and services available to users 
irrespective of the device they are using, but with 
different presentations (UI)
– http://www.w3.org/TR/mobile-bp/#OneWeb
Extended reading: Why Separate Mobile & Desktop Web 
Pages?
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/mobile-site-vs-full-site/
http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1390
Separate Mobile Site
• Separate mobile site has its own domain and address, 
and is independent from the main site. 
• A separate mobile site can best meet mobile user 
experience. Build a separate mobile-optimized 
design (or mobile site) if you can afford it.
– https://www.nngroup.com/articles/mobile-site-vs-full-site/
• Some examples:
–
Ikea: http://m.ikea.com/us (jQuery Mobile)
– Newegg: https://m.newegg.com
– Nike: https://m.nike.com
– Staples: https://m.staples.com
– Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org
– Goodwill: https://mgwdonate.ging.org (used a third party 
service, more like an app)
• Some companies has moved away from separate 
mobile site, such as 
– Costco (m.costco.com)
– Walmart (mobile.walmart.com)
– Ebay (m.ebay.com)
19
Extended reading: Why Separate Mobile & Desktop Web Pages?
http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1390
One Web
• One Web means making, as far as is reasonable, the same information and 
services available to users irrespective of the device they are using, but with 
different presentations (UI)
•
It does not mean that the content is available in exactly the 
same representation across all devices. 
• The context of mobile use, device capability variations, bandwidth issues and 
mobile network capabilities all affect the representation.
• http://www.w3.org/TR/mobile-bp/#OneWeb
• Three basic approaches
– Responsive web design (response to screen size)
– Adaptive (dynamic serving based on device detection and adaptation)
– https://www.wired.com/2013/05/the-two-flavors-of-a-one-web-approach-responsive-vs-
adaptive/
– Hybrid: RESS (Responsive Design + Server Side Components) 
http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1392
• Examples
– http://mashable.com (responsive)
– http://google.com or Wikipdia.org (adaptive)
This subject will be covered in details in IT 4213 module 3
Key reading: design for multi-screen experiences 
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/building-
websites-multi-screen-consumer.html
Responsive Web Design
• Ethan Marcotte coined the term responsive web design and defined it to 
mean fluid grid/ flexible images/ media queries in a May 2010 article in 
A List Apart
– http://alistapart.com/article/responsive-web-design
• Basic principles and practices
– Fluid grid - no horizontal scrolling
– Adaptive/flexible image
– Media query
• See more details at 
https://www.edocr.com/v/yxdmelxy/jgzheng/Responsive-Web-Design
Responsive Web Design (RWD) is a Web design approach aimed 
at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing experience, easy 
reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and 
scrolling, across a wide range of screen sizes and devices.
Some interesting infographics about RWD
https://www.webfx.com/blog/web-design/infographics-learn-responsive-web-design/
This subject will be covered in 
details throughout IT 4213
Responsive Examples
• Responsive examples
– http://kennesaw.edu
– https://cobbcounty.org
– http://mashable.com
– http://mediaqueri.es (more examples here)
• Non-responsive examples
– https://www.weather.gov (not mobile friendly)
– http://www.atlantawatershed.org/ (adaptive but not responsive)
– See more: http://cubicle-h.blogspot.com/2018/08/website-mobile-friendliness-testing.html
Adjust the browser width and 
see the changes or use a 
tool like responsinator.com
or browser developer tools.
Adaptive (Dynamic Serving)
• Adaptive design aims to deliver website UI (content, style, function, etc.) and 
user experience that adapts to the capabilities of the device/browser.
– Also called dynamic serving as in https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-
resources/experience-design/building-websites-multi-screen-consumer/
– Adaptation can be done either at the server side or at the client side -
https://www.wired.com/2013/05/the-two-flavors-of-a-one-web-approach-responsive-vs-
adaptive/
• Of the Alexa 100 sites, fully 80% use adaptive web design in their delivery.
– https://mobiforge.com/news-comment/adaptive-web-design-dominates-in-the-webs-top-
brands
• Some examples (notice the webpage does not respond to size change well):
– http://google.com
– https://www.yahoo.com
– http://dealnews.com
– https://gillette.com
– https://github.com/vmware
• Responsive design can somewhat be considered as a kind of adaptive design. 
It adapts UI based on screen size (width mainly). But adaptive design considers 
more features than just screen size.
– http://bradfrost.com/blog/post/the-many-faces-of-adaptive-design/
23
Feature/Device Detection
• Adaptive design heavily uses feature detection and other 
sound progressive enhancement techniques.
• These features may include
– Screen size and capabilities (orientation, touch, etc.)
– Device/OS type
– Browser type/version
– Hardware features
•
In the separate mobile site approach, device detection is 
also often used to redirect users to mobile or desktop 
version site.
• Feature detection techniques
– Parsing User-Agent strings: https://deviceatlas.com/blog/user-
agent-parsing-how-it-works-and-how-it-can-be-used
– Using JavaScript testing: Modernizr https://modernizr.com
24
Hybrid - RESS
• The two approaches are not mutually exclusive. 
Many sites combine techniques to achieve the 
best results.
• RESS: Responsive Design + Server Side 
Components
– A single set of page templates define an entire Web 
site for all devices (responsive) but key components 
within that site have device-class specific 
implementations that are rendered server side 
(server side components).
– http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1392
• Comparison of the three:
– http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1509
25
Mobile Web App
• Mobile web apps are still websites and delivered through browsers. They are 
more focused on a particular functionality without cluttered information and 
content.
– https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/01/26/opinion-mobile-web-apps-finally-becoming-
alternative-native-apps/
• App-like web site looks and acts like a native mobile app (browser hidden, etc.) 
but is actually a web site
– This will give the website an “app” look and feel without installing anything at first
– But they are still dependent on the browser to drive them
– See an example “Sencha Fastbook ”here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkDWLcErzGs
• Some features:
– Launch from home screen (like an app): http://www.howtogeek.com/196087/how-to-add-
websites-to-the-home-screen-on-any-smartphone-or-tablet/
– Running offline
– OS level notification
– Hardware capabilities like GPS, etc.
• Take it to another level: progressive web app (optimized app-like web site)
26
Extended reading: 
https://www.sencha.com/blog/create-web-apps-with-the-capabilities-of-native-apps/
Progressive Web App
• Progressive web applications (PWAs) are web applications that 
load like regular web pages or websites but can offer the user 
functionality such as working offline, push notifications, and 
device hardware access traditionally available only to native 
applications. PWAs combine the flexibility of the web with the 
experience of a native application.
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_web_applications
• Examples
– Twitter https://buildfire.com/progressive-web-app/
• More resources (not covered in IT 4213)
– https://developers.google.com/web/progressive-web-apps
– http://arc.applause.com/2015/11/30/application-shell-architecture/
– http://developer.telerik.com/featured/what-progressive-web-apps-
mean-for-the-web/
– http://gonehybrid.com/are-progressive-web-apps-the-future-of-
mobile-apps/
27
Apps using Web Technologies
• Mobile web also refers to the use of web 
technologies for mobile app development 
that are not dependent on web browsers
• These apps may include:
– Hybrid web app
– Use of web components (Web View) to display 
web pages in native apps 
https://www.addthis.com/blog/2017/04/04/in-
app-browsers-explained/#.XEfp7VxKibh
– mBaaS, through the use of web APIs and 
services, used by various kinds of apps
28
This course will NOT cover these subjects.
Hybrid Web Apps
• Hybrid apps are apps developed based on the web technologies 
(HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and wrapped in a platform specific 
native container
– Similar to Java and .Net’s vision of Write-Once-Run-Anywhere
– Device features are exposed through JavaScript API
– The execution of the app relies on the browser engine of the OS it is 
installed in
• Gartner Says by 2016, More Than 50 Percent of Mobile Apps 
Deployed Will be Hybrid
– http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2324917
• Major tools: 
– Apache Cordova
– PhoneGap: http://phonegap.com
– Appcelerator Titanium
– IBM MobileFirst
29
Web View
• All the smartphone operating systems 
support the use of WebViews in 
apps. WebViews are a small view 
component to handle web page 
content (HTML/CSS, etc.). A 
WebView can be a tiny part of the 
app screen, as shown in Figure 1, a 
whole page, or anything in between.
• WebView Apps
– The entire app or at least most of it 
uses one big WebView
• Some example apps
– Facebook, Evernote, Instagram, 
LinkedIn, Uber, Slack, Twitter, Gmail, 
the Amazon Appstore, and many 
others are or have been WebView
apps
– Quora (figure on the right)
30
https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2018
/08/mobile-apps-native-hybrid-and-
webviews.php
Services and Service Providers
• Mobile backend as a service (MBaaS), also known as "backend as a 
service" (BaaS) is a model for providing mobile app developers (also 
web apps) with a way to use backend services through Web APIs
– These services usually include database, file storage, user access and 
management, push notifications, social networking services, emails, and 
others
– Developers can focus on front end development and don’t need to develop 
and maintain a backend server themselves
– The global The Mobile Backend as a Service Market is expected to grow at 
USD ~$87 Billion by 2023, at ~64% of CAGR between 2017 and 2023.
– https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/mobile-backend-as-a-service-
market-size-share-market-intelligence-company-profiles-and-trends-
forecast-to-2023-2018-06-01
• Top providers
– Kinvey
– Azure https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service-mobile/
– Sencha
–
IBM
31
Mobile Application Framework
•
A "framework" is a fundamental structure for supporting or enclosing something else, especially a skeletal 
support used as the basis for something being constructed on.
•
The main aim of frameworks is to increase productivity by reducing efforts which eventually saves lot of time 
for developers to resolve any other important issues in the app. These frameworks provide inbuilt tools for 
developers to work instantly on difficult and lengthy part of coding.
• Major frameworks for mobile web
– Responsive UI Frameworks: these frameworks support UI design on screens of various sizes
• Bootstrap http://getbootstrap.com
•
Foundation http://foundation.zurb.com
•
Framework 7
•
http://materializecss.com/
•
http://www.material-ui.com
•
http://cssframeworks.org
– HTML 5 mobile app: these frameworks mainly support mobile devices, giving an app-like look and feel, and optimized for 
touch
•
jQuery Mobile https://jquerymobile.com
•
iUI http://www.iui-js.org
– Mobile web app frameworks that are not just UI
• Angular
• React
– Other mobile (cross device) app frameworks that utilizes web technologies
•
Ionic http://ionicframework.com
• Ext JS https://www.sencha.com/products/extjs/
• Appcelerator https://www.appcelerator.com/mobile-app-development-products/
•
http://www.gajotres.net/top-7-mobile-application-html5-frameworks/
• More: http://mobile-frameworks-comparison-chart.com/
32
This subject will be covered in details in 
IT 4213 module 10
Development/Design Tools
•
Testing and validation
– https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
– https://testmysite.thinkwithgoogle.com
– https://ready.mobi
– http://lab.maltewassermann.com/viewport-
resizer/
•
Feature check
– http://mobilehtml5.org
– http://caniuse.com
•
Live feature detection
– http://mydevice.io
– http://detectmobilebrowsers.com
– https://viewportsizer.com and 
https://viewportsizer.com/devices/
– http://whatismyviewport.com
– Screen resolution: 
http://www.screenresolution.org or 
http://www.whatismyscreenresolution.com
•
Feature detection programming mode
– Modernizr: http://modernizr.com
• Responsive design test
– https://material.io/resizer/
– http://www.responsinator.com
– https://www.browsersync.io
– http://mobiletest.me
• Emulator
– https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chr
ome-devtools/device-mode/
– https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/docs/Tools/Responsive_Design_Mode
– http://www.mobilexweb.com/emulators
– http://lab.maltewassermann.com/viewport-
resizer/
• Design tools
– https://wireframe.cc
– https://jdittrich.github.io/quickMockup/
– https://pencil.evolus.vn
• Generator
– https://www.duda.co/mobile-website
Design Considerations and Principles
• Be aware of the difference of user experience on mobile vs 
desktop
• Web site or app? Consider their pros and cons and select the 
most appropriate one.
• Follow the general conventions and design principles.
– Design for small (multi) screen; adapt to screen size and density
– Design for touch friendly UI
• Reasonably and selectively apply design patterns and best 
practices
• Other best practices
– Adopt a design language for consistency
– Handle browser compatibility and feature detection
– Design for mobile performance
– Apply a development strategy like mobile first
– Use a design tool to assist design and development
This subject will be covered in details 
in IT 4213 module 4
Design for Small Screens
• The grand general principle of small screens is to keep the page short
– Most mobile websites are viewed in portrait mode with narrow width. 
Stretching a normal multi column webpage will make the page extra long. 
Long stretching pages are more likely to get user lost and difficult to 
navigate.
• Major issues (see https://www.viget.com/articles/do-responsive-sites-
have-to-be-so-tall-on-mobile/)
– Scrolling Quickly Becomes Sluggish and Boring
– Navigation Can be Unfriendly
– Hindrance for the Footer Elements
• Some general design practices (details on following slides)
– Content/feature prioritization: identify main content and give more screen 
area to the main content.
– Extra on demand: more content with additional actions
– Layout adjustment: change how content is arranged and grouped
– https://www.sitepoint.com/6-ways-to-improve-long-scroll-mobile-websites/
35
IT 4213 covers more details on 
designing for small screens in module 4.
Design for Touch Friendly UI 
• Understand the difference of touch oriented input. Some are weaknesses, 
some are advantages, and some are, just different.
• Major differences
– Finger touches are generally less precise and less accurate
– Direct input, generally lack of external input devices like mouse and keyboard
• No hover, no right click, no scrolling wheel
• No keyboard shortcut
– Easy to use gestures, direct action, smoother movement
•
Touch UI does offer opportunities to design better interaction methods and 
enable additional functionalities than traditional UI.
•
Finger’s advantages vs. mouse
– Accuracy: less accurate on pointing/tapping, but more accurate in movement 
(moving, dragging, drawing, etc.)
– Multi-point input
– Flexibility: gestures are richer and more advanced
– Direct action: easy to directly tapping on a target; horizontal scroll is easy
• Avoid touch weaknesses and maximize its advantages
– Aware of hot touch area – positioning of common commands and actions
– Set the right touch target size and style
– Provide interaction feedback
– Ease user input/typing
– Take advantage of touch gestures (NOT covered in this class; gestures represent 
the future UI opportunities - http://www.lukew.com/touch/)
36
IT 4213 covers more 
details on designing for 
touch UI in module 4.
Design Patterns and Practices
• Design patterns and best practices are finer level design guides following the 
general principles.
• General patterns and best practices resources
– Google https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/experience-
design/principles-of-mobile-app-design-engage-users-and-drive-conversions/
– http://bradfrost.github.io/this-is-responsive/patterns.html
– https://designmodo.com/content-patterns-mobile/
– Android patters: https://unitid.nl/androidpatterns
– https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/mobile-ux-design
– https://pttrns.com
– http://www.mobile-patterns.com
– Books
• Mobile UI Design Patterns https://www.uxpin.com/studio/ebooks/mobile-design-patterns/
• Mobile Design Pattern Gallery https://www.amazon.com/dp/1449363636 - one sample chapter 
http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/mobile-design-patterns/
• Designing mobile interfaces: http://4ourth.com/wiki/Designing%20Mobile%20Interfaces
37
IT 4213 covers more detailed design patterns and best practices for 
layout, navigation, data presentation, form, and media (module 5 to 9).
Going Beyond
• The world is entering a multi-screen multi-
device usage environment. The use of 
mobile devices is not isolated from other 
type of devices, but rather an important part 
of it.
– Watch, phone, tablet, desktop, TV, super size 
displays
• https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/
6051803?hl=en&ref_topic=6051812
38
Data, Stats, and Reports
• Key organizational reports
– Cisco Visual Networking Index http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/service-
provider/visual-networking-index-vni/index.html
– KPCB Internet Trends http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends
– https://deviceatlas.com/blog
– https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS45636719
– https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research
– https://www.ctia.org/the-wireless-industry/infographics-library
• General stats
– http://www.netmarketshare.com
– http://gs.statcounter.com
– http://marketshare.hitslink.com
– Browser: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers
• Other Reports
– http://mobiforge.com
– http://www.visionmobile.com/reports/
– http://www.pewinternet.org
– http://www.appcelerator.com/enterprise/resource-center/research/
– https://www.slideshare.net/comScoremarcom/presentations
– Android devices: http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html
39
Key Readings
•
This lecture notes https://www.edocr.com/v/k52p5vj4/jgzheng/Mobile-Web-Overview
• Mobile web differences
– https://www.paradoxlabs.com/blog/mobile-vs-desktop-10-key-differences/
• Mobile development options
– Mobile web app: https://www.scnsoft.com/blog/mobile-web-app-types
– Developing Mobile Web Applications: When, Why, and How https://www.toptal.com/android/developing-
mobile-web-apps-when-why-and-how
• ONE web (responsive), adaptive, and separate mobile site (Google describes the three 
techniques)
– https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/experience-design/building-websites-multi-screen-
consumer/
• Additional readings and resources
– Some history: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Evolution-of-mobile-web-browsing_id9059
– http://bradfrost.com/blog/post/the-many-faces-of-adaptive-design/
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Web
– https://www.wired.com/2013/05/the-two-flavors-of-a-one-web-approach-responsive-vs-adaptive/
– Why Separate Mobile & Desktop Web Pages? http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1390
– https://developers.google.com/search/mobile-sites/
– One web: http://adactio.com/journal/1716/
– https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Guide/Mobile
– Mobile site design for performance: https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=2441756
40
Good Resources
•
Lecture notes collection
–
https://www.edocr.com/user/jgzheng/collection/mobileandw
eblecturenotes
•
Community resources
–
https://mobiforge.com
–
http://www.w3.org/Mobile/
–
http://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/mobilweb
–
https://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3002798
•
Online learning resources
–
http://www.quirksmode.org/mobile/
–
https://alistapart.com
–
https://www.udacity.com/course/mobile-web-development--
cs256
•
Vendor resources
–
https://developers.google.com/search/mobile-sites/
–
https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/
–
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa286514.aspx
–
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/docs/Web/Guide/Mobile
–
http://www.kinvey.com/native-web-hybrid-developers-ebook
–
http://www.ibm.com/mobilefirst/us/en/
–
http://www.mobiletuxedo.com
•
Influencers
–
https://ethanmarcotte.com/
–
Luke Wroblewski http://www.lukew.com
– Maximiliano Firtman http://www.mobilexweb.com
–
Steven Hoober http://www.4ourth.com
–
http://www.nngroup.com
•
Books
–
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449334970
–
https://www.amazon.com/Responsive-Web-Design-
HTML5-CSS3/dp/1784398934/
–
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1593274874
–
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449311415
–
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449363636
•
Media news and columns
–
http://mashable.com/category/mobile-web/
–
https://www.uxmatters.com/columns/mobile-matters/
–
http://www.smashingmagazine.com
–
http://www.quirksmode.org/blog/archives/mobile/
•
Mobile web SEO
–
https://developers.google.com/search/mobile-sites/mobile-
seo/
–
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2018/03/rolling-out-
mobile-first-indexing.html
–
https://www.informaticsinc.com/blog/2016/google-boosts-
mobile-friendly-algorithm-further-penalizing-non-mobile-
sites
–
A real story https://cheekymonkeymedia.ca/blog/mobile-
friendly-does-it-really-matter
41
Mobile Web Brief History
1997
Wireless Application 
Protocol 1.0
Networking protocol 
created to allow 
mobile devices to 
access the internet for 
services such as   
e-mail, stock prices, 
SMS, etc.  It Is open, 
non proprietary.  Uses 
WML (wireless markup 
language ) for text and 
graphics. Adopted by 
many vendors such as 
Sony, Motorola, etc. 
Allows for an explosion 
in mobile specific 
websites and 
browsers.
1994
pocketweb
The first mobile 
browser for a 
PDA was 
PocketWeb for 
the Apple 
Newton created 
at TecO in 1994, 
followed by the 
first commercial 
product 
NetHopper
released in 
August 1996.
2G
2007
2002
3G
2005
.mobi domain is 
created for mobile 
specific websites
first iPhone is 
released. Native 
app market 
explodes.
WAP 2.0 
Released  to 
address 1.0 
shortcomings. Uses 
WML, XHMTL, and 
WCSS to give users 
a better experience
2010
4G
2013
Major companies  
try to leverage the 
power of the 
mobile phone by 
making mobile 
payment solutions 
common.
HTML5 web 
development 
pushes to the 
forefront allowing 
for a better mobile 
web experience 
but WAP 2.0 still 
dominates.
HTML5 mobile 
frameworks such 
as jQuery mobile 
become popular
Wireless companies 
begin to advertise 
4G wireless (10x3G) 
speeds en masse 
touting streaming 
TV, streaming 
movies, faster web 
access, etc. as 
customer benefits.  
Native app market 
grows by leaps and 
bounds as the 
iPhone and Android 
systems become 
household names. 
Opera Mini, SkyFire, 
are popular mobile 
browsers
4G