How the iPad is changing Website Design

As late as 2009, most designers built websites for viewing primarily on laptops and desktop computers. Their main concern was (and still is) how to attain some semblance of uniformity across browsers and machines. A very small percentage of the industry also added a second version that was optimized for viewing on tiny smartphone screens, either with a stripped-down WAP site (for Blackberries), or with an extra CSS (style sheet) for small screens.

But ever since the iPad arrived, a funny thing has started happening.

The early adopter clients are requesting websites that are built for optimum viewing on mobiles, specifically handheld tablets *first*, smartphones second, and desktops/laptops third. Third. Not even second.

Why? They have seen first-hand how their entire family switches––within weeks––to a tablet for internet access, leaving desktops to gather cobwebs.  Reasons abound, but the most obvious one can be seen in ads for iPads everywhere: you can surf from the couch. Or the nursery at 3am. Or the kitchen while the kids are doing homework. Or the patio. Or the garage. True, you can do all this with a laptop, but it’s a knee-juggling, screen-tilting act, versus the one-handed operation of a tablet. It’s just not as easy or spontaneous. As the New York Times reported this weekend, parents increasingly rely on their smartphones to pacify the most uncooperative child, and to maintain sanity on family road trips.

My prediction: the lightness and portability of tablets combined with WiFi and lower prices are destined to make all other personal computers obsolete. And faster than you think. According to iSuppli, sales of iPads for 2012 are projected to be 63 million. Secondary market tablets will push the trend even further.

But what about customers who search the web from their office desks?
No problem. A site that is optimized for tablets uses the same code as traditional websites. The only difference is that the interface is cleaner and more streamlined: navigation is clearer, simpler, with key buttons large enough for easy finger-tip access; and there are fewer hidden elements (e.g. drop-down menus) or Flash animations. This is a vast improvement for *any* site, regardless of screen size.

Summary: building a website that is optimized for mobile users first is a win for all viewers. Whereas the old approach, building for laptops and desktops first, seriously hampers mobile users.