Is your website iPhone 3G ready?

Since the release of the first iPhone over a year ago, interest in this device continues to grow at a rapid pace.  Apple set a goal to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008.  They are well on their way to achieving this.  It’s no surprise that Apple is now the world’s third largest Smartphone vendor.  As sales continue to climb, you should investigate the potential impact of this emerging market.

Before deciding what steps to take, you should determine if your customers are iPhone users.  As you would expect, market research has found the typical iPhone users to be young, early adopters who are generally tech savvy.  Many of these users are students as well.  If a portion of your customers are in this demographic you should ensure your website has been optimized for the iPhone.

However, if you target market is outside this group you may still want to consider an iPhone friendly approach for your website.  Apple is attempting to capture large enterprises by adding business productivity features including real time calendars and advanced contact management.  They are also adding support for widely used enterprise applications such as Microsoft Exchange.  As the iPhone gains acceptance in the workplace, the profile of the typical user will change drastically.  Optimizing your site now will ensure you are ahead of your competitors.

If you decide to optimize your site for the iPhone, there are several considerations to ensure a positive user experience:

Keep it Compact

The screen size on the iPhone is significantly smaller than a standard computer screen.   If your site contains a large amount of content per page, visitors may have to scroll excessively, making it difficult to locate information.  Also, since the iPhone screen can be rotated you will need to consider the usability of your website in both orientations.

Ensure Images and Page Sizes are Small

The access speed will be slower than a typical broadband connection.  Large images or other factors that can cause a page to load slowly will frustrate your visitors.

Consider the Navigation

Visitors must use the touch screen of the iPhone to navigate.  Buttons and menu options should be large enough to be easily selected with a finger.