HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEBSITE TOUCH FRIENDLY
With the whole world now turning to this new type of web experience it is vital for winning new customers that you design your website that caters for all these markets through touch friendly design. This is called adaptive web design and is very user friendly when is comes to the touch market. If you follow a few of these simple rules your chances of online success will be much greater.
Design Large Buttons and Do Not Be Afraid of Colour – fingers get in the way
Most adults have large fingers and the older you get the less control you will have over them so in order to overcome this, the button height should be at least 35pixels and the width should be 55 pixels. Anything less may cause problems for those seniors wanting a better touch experience on their screen.
No One Hovers Anymore.
Hovers have been phased out of touch devices so why even have them there. Look at alternatives such as links to other pages within the site that will display this information. Adding more relevant pages to your website will add value to your site and have very positive ranking ramification for the search engines as well. Its a huge win win.
The Larger The Font And Text Size The Better
The text that users read should be at least 12 point in size. If you have links in the site make certain that they are a different size than normal and to make them easier to read, look at introducing another separate colour. Size can vary for this but a great yardstick is 22 pixels and a 14 point type. If you are serious about your website and have engaged a company to work on this for you then they should know all about this especially if they have a graphic design slant to their work.
Give the site some space.
Ensure that there is enough room between all navigational points. Don’t over crown the top of the page with too many prime headings as this may make it difficult to get around the site. Spacing is vital especially if you want to have quite a bit of content on the home page. If users are find that they have to minimise too much to exact a point they will most likely leave the page. I know from my experience how frustrating this can be. All main content boxes should be visible with heaps of white space. It’s all about the UX and if you get it right from the get go, then you will be rewarded.
Make Field Spaces A Pleasure.
How many times have you tried to complete a form online only to find that the field spaces are tiny. If you need to join. sign up or become a member or buy a product, these field spaces need to be at least 35 pixels high, so that the average user will not become angry or skip necessary information fields. The adult finger needs this space for a touch friendly website. Missed opportunities are happening all the time by users not being able to easily touch a number or letter.
These are just a few simple points that any web developer should know to make the touch experience a pleasure. If you are unclear about any of these points it would be good to speak with your web designer or developer before progressing further.