Mobile Web Development

Briyan Calhoun

IT Practicum
Florida State University

November 23, 2008

Mobile Web Development

This document describes methods and limitations for developing web content for mobile devices. This document will also describe mobile standards and protocols. This document will offer various assessments.

Standards and Protocols

Standards are implemented to improve the interoperability, usability, and accessibility of content rendered on mobile devices. Mobile web standards are maturing, but they are still very much in infancy. Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and W3C are the most prominent leaders in developing standards for the mobile web.

The W3C Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) is an initiative set up by the W3C to develop best practices and technologies relevant to the Mobile Web. The MWI groups are Mobile Web Best Practices (BPWG) and the Device Description Working Group (DDWG).

The goal of the BPWG is to “develop a set of technical best practices and associated materials in support of development of Web sites that provide an appropriate user experience on mobile devices.”

The goal of the DDWG is “to enable the development of globally accessible, sustainable data and services that provide device description information applicable to content adaptation.”

The main aim of the MWI is to evolve standards of data formats from Internet providers that are tailored to the specifications of particular mobile devices. The W3C has published guidelines (Best Practices) and tools (Best Practices Checker Software Tool, mobileOK) for mobile content, and DDWG is actively addressing the problem of device diversity by establishing a technology to support a repository of Device Descriptions and the organization addresses the problems with inconsistent or incomplete User Agent Profiles that are required to execute content adaptation to specific mobile devices.

W3C mobileOK Scheme, assist content developers to quickly determine if their content is mobile web-ready, is a validating schema to assess the readiness of content for the mobile web.

The registry for .mobi (dotMobi) (mTLD) developed a testing tool called the MobiReady Report. The MobiReady Report analyzes the mobile-readiness of a website and does a free page analysis to give a Mobi Ready score. This report tests the mobile-readiness of sites using the industry best practices & standards.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a suite of standards that cover both the Wireless Mark-up Language (WML) and the protocols used to serve it. The WAP standards suite is managed by the OMA. WAP 2.0 is the current version of the suite. WAP 2.0 brought support for the standard Internet communication protocols such as TCP/IP and HTTP rather than the proprietary protocols used by WAP 1.0, and XHTML-MP as the primary markup language rather than WML.

OMA defined and developed XHTML-MP 1.0 (XHTML – Mobile Profile 1.0) as a specialization XHTML designed to incorporate features useful to mobile devices.

OMA has proposed XHTML 1.2 and W3C has proposed XHTML Basic 1.1, and both are subsets of XHTML. This effort is so that developers would not need to understand a completely new language. XHTML Basic 1.1 is set to become the standard level of support on mobile devices replacing XHTML-MP.

XHTML-MP comes with support for WCSS to separate presentation from the markup. The Wireless CSS (WCSS) standard is a subset of CSS and is also part of the WAP 2.0 specification. Wireless CSS is not backwards compatible with WML, and it doesn’t support all CSS standards. In light of WCSS shortcomings, OMA and W3C are working towards producing a mobile version of CSS called CSS-MP, but for now WCSS is the standard.

Methods and Limitations

Mobile Web development primarily utilizes XHTML or WML to deliver content to mobile devices. Many new mobile browsers are moving beyond these limitations by supporting a wider range of standards, including HTML variants.

One method for rendering a site on mobile web is to wait until the technology catches up. Although this method has almost no advantages at all it is effortless, but it does have disadvantages. Waiting does nothing to address needs and experiences of mobile users.

Another method is to rely on the markup for content and presentation, and that isn’t without its advantages. With proper coding presentation styling and content for the mobile web can be rendered quickly and effectively. Markup only is efficient, readily viewable by a variety of user devices, and renderers faster than doing nothing, especially when considering that mobile browsers override a good share of styling anyway.

Markup only may cause excessive file sizes seeing as its hard written instead of generated code. In addition to that, markup only still has limitations when it comes to the mobile user experience, and mobile specific needs.

One of the most widely used and most effective methods is wireless/mobile/handheld versions of CSS. Implementation can be as simple as adding additional WCSS to a properly coded site, but WCSS isn’t without its limitations. Although WCSS is inconsistent at times using this method helps to keep form redeveloping content. WCSS deals primarily with presentation, often ignoring function and mobile specification.

Mobilizing targets actual mobile user needs, making the most efficient use of mobile technology. Mobilization involves recomposing the site based on contextual user tasks specific to the mobile environment. The added development time and file duplication is a setback, but it renders an optimized mobile site. Besides the obvious increased speed, small-screen adaptation makes for the most optimal user experience. Separate URI’s would be necessary.

Developing for mobile has general platform, mobile specific, and device specific limitations. Most limitations are noticeable including small screen size making it difficult or near-impossible to display some content and lack of windows preventing multi-tasking and forcing sequential browsing. Other widespread limitations can include the lack of reliable support for JavaScript and general client-side programming, Flash, PDFs, videos and cookies, and speed and connectivity deficiency. And other more unfamiliar limitations can include inaccessible page types and content, broken or chopped up renditions of sites and content, and number of characters per message and email.

Mobilization vs. Miniaturization

Miniaturizing “treats the mobile environment and technology as a subset of the desktop environment.” Mobile specific utilities are not addressed.

Mobilizing, “precisely targets mobile user needs, making [the] best possible use of technology.” Task-based redevelopment specific to the mobile platform ignoring other platforms’ applications

Miniaturizing includes the decision to make a mobile version application from the desktop application or site. A decision on which features work for mobile is made, and then a mobile conversion of these features takes place. Through this method several useful but limited applications are produced. These applications do not fully meet user needs

Mobilization considers mobile user context, the device is always with the user, and always on. And with this concept in development the mobile user’s needs and potential can be fully addressed and accessed. Mobilization creates optimal access all the time.

References:

Moll, C (2005, August). Mobile Web Design: Methods to the Madness. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from cameronmoll.com Web site: http://cameronmoll.com/archives/000428.html

Hoober, S (2008, June). Mobilize, Don’t Miniaturize – MobileDesign. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from littlespringsdesign.com Web site: http://patterns.littlespringsdesign.com/index.php/Mobilize,_Don%27t_Miniaturize

Authors, Various (2008, Novemeber). Mobile Web. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Web

Admin, mobiiForge (2006-2008). Mobile Web Standards. Retrieved November 23, 2008, from mobiForge Web site: http://mobiforge.com/book/mobile-web-standards

Agency: Florida State University

Project Name: CI Mobile Web

Project Sponsor: College of Information

Project Manager: Briyan Calhoun

Document Date: November 17, 2008

Prepared By: Briyan Calhoun, Darren Rajendranath, Maz Hasan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Document Scope

2.0 General Specifications

3.0 Detailed Functional Specifications

4.0 Other Specifications

5.0 Requirements Not Being Implemented

1.0 DOCUMENT SCOPE

The purpose of this document is to detail the functionality of the CI Mobile Web resource and to describe strategies for further development.

This document will summarize the technical and design strategies employed by the CI Mobile Web team. These strategies are employed at every level of devolvement.

2.0 GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

This system provides a mobile web resource for the College of Information. The system will provide stripped content and optimal mobile usability of the current College of Information website.

As required a limited rollout of the most universal content is in devolvement. This will be optimized, tested, and validated.

More content will become live dependant on the success of the limited rollout.

3.0 DETAILED FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION

3.1 Directory

Description

PHP generated XHTML pages displaying directory content produced from SQL queries.

3.2 News

Description

PHP generated XHTML formatted news content from an RSS feed.

4.0 OTHER SPECIFICATIONS

4.1 Security specifications

We plan to employee the standard security measurements and trust the security design of the SQL and PHP methods.

4.2 Design specifications

The design will feature a header seal and menu, but page specific menus will be provided where necessary.

5.0 REQUIREMENTS NOT BEING IMPLIMENTED

The CI Mobile Web team has determined that the following content will be left out of this initial rollout:

*Requirements Analysis*

S.R. 3.1 “Graduate Specific Content”

S.R. 3.2 “Undergraduate Specific Content”

S.R. 3.3 “Faculty Specific Content”

*** Miscellaneous and Scope specific content ***

APPENDICIES – Supporting Documents

See Requirements Analysis.docx

Agency: Florida State University

Project Name: CI Mobile Web

Project Sponsor: College of Information

Project Manager: Briyan Calhoun

Document Date: November 12, 2008

Prepared By: Briyan Calhoun, Darren Rajendranath, Maz Hasan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Document Scope

2.0 General Requirements

3.0 Specific Requirements

4.0 Requirements Not Being Implemented

1.0 DOCUMENT SCOPE

The purpose of this document is to define a consistent set of requirements for the CI Mobile Web resource and to identify the optimal course of development.

This document will summarize the requirements gathered through a simple survey that was distributed by the CI Mobile Web team. These Requirements will be under consideration at every level of devolvement.

2.0 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

This system will provide a mobile web resource for the College of Information. The system will provide near the same level content and usability of the current College of Information website.

Given the results of the CI Mobile Web survey the team has decided that a limited rollout of the most universal content would probably be the most efficient course of action. The decision was made after the results of the survey revealed that about half of the participants didn’t own web capable mobile devices.

More content will become live dependant on the success of the limited rollout.

3.0 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Graduate

Description

This group needs access to all graduate specific content, news and the faculty directory.

3.2 Undergraduate

Description

This group needs access to all undergraduate specific content, news and the faculty directory.

3.3 Faculty

Description

The group needs access to all faculty specific content, news and the faculty directory.

3.4 Others

Description:

This group needs to accesses news and the faculty directory.

4.0 BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS NOT BEING IMPLEMENTED

The CI Mobile Web team has determined that the following content will be left out of this initial rollout:

S.R. 3.1 “Graduate Specific Content”

S.R. 3.2 “Undergraduate Specific Content”

S.R. 3.3 “Faculty Specific Content”

*** Miscellaneous and Scope specific content ***

APPENDIX A – Requirements Definition Supporting Details

Survey Results

Results dated October 27, 2008.

To distribute an initial survey to access the Client’s mobile web needs by October 08, 2008

To develop a calendar of CI Mobile Web’s production to be used as a timeline by October 15, 2008

To have a fully functional mobile web resource for the College of Information by December 1, 2008

To have a full documentation and written procedure package of CI Mobile Web by December 3, 2008

2. Secondary Objectives

To have a complete Work Breakdown Structure by the end of October, 2008

To have a complete End-User (Requirements) Analysis by the end of October, 2008

To have a complete Functional Specifications Document by the third week of November, 2008

]]> http://bmc05e.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/smart-objectives/feed/ 0 bmc05e http://bmc05e.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/learning-objectives/ http://bmc05e.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/learning-objectives/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:20:23 +0000 bmc05e http://bmc05e.wordpress.com/?p=8 ]]> SMART Learning Objectives

I want to gain an understanding of project management by the end of the project.

I want to improve my personal management habits by the end of the project.

I want to be able to effectively apply the Web Development Process by the end of the project.

The purpose of this proposal is to establish a program for the planning, design, and implementation of Mobile Resources for the College of Information website.

Goals:

To successfully investigate and analyze available development practices for mobile web to be used on CI Mobile.

To begin design, devolvement, and implementation of CI Mobile using researched mobile web development practices.

Refinement and continuity of this program for feature CI Undergraduates.

Requirements:

A team of two or more of eager students with knowledge of HTML or other web development skills to secure successful devolvement of CI Mobile.

Students should have independent work ethic and strong sense of personal management.

Students should also have a desire for project planning and development experience.