Trekbikes.com Goes Mobile
How do you take a web site that was designed for a 17-inch monitor and squish it into a screen the size of a deck of cards?

Very well, thank you.

Start with an iPhone (or iPod Touch). Of course there are other mobile platforms, and we could debate their merits – perhaps in another story. We chose to begin our foray into mobile browsers with iPhone for a couple reasons: First of all, we enjoy a great history with Trek and Apple as leaders in techno-savvy and user-centered design. Beyond that, there’s the fact that iPhone quite simply generates more traffic than other mobile devices. With the Trek site, iPhone users generate several times the traffic of the nearest mobile competitor. That analysis is admittedly unscientific at the moment, but there are some convincing numbers indicating that the iPhone is in a class of its own with regard to mobile browsing.

Our suspicions regarding iPhone traffic were recently confirmed by the New York Times. Their article reports that on Christmas, iPhones accounted for more of Google’s traffic than any other mobile device. Yahoo and AdMob also reported disproportionately high iPhone traffic.

20 Pounds of Site on a 10-Pound Screen
Mobile devices have tiny screens. They trade viewable area for portability, and the result is often less than stellar. Mobile browsers attempt to reorganize content for the small screen, which results in cumbersome scrolling for users. The alternative is for web developers to make sites that detect mobile devices and deliver content just for them. Creating that custom mobile content is more or less convenient for developers depending on the browser and platform. In the case of the iPhone, it’s relatively simple. We already built trekbikes.com, so the content was there to begin with. Using Javascript and Ajax, we rearranged that content and displayed it in a way that makes sense on iPhone’s 320×480 pixel screen. The only browser currently supported by the iPhone is Safari, which is convenient because we don’t need to jump through hoops in production to be compatible with other browsers – at least for now.

The Full Trek Experience
Surfing the Trek site on an iPhone is absolutely intuitive. All the menus look and behave just like the menus in the iPhone’s operating system, so it’s immediately familiar. Navigation is a no-brainer, and most importantly, the brand is intact; it still looks like Trek.

Before we pushed any buttons, we sat down and considered who would use an iPhone to access the site and why. Then we created a site with that user in mind. Of course all of the bikes are accessible, as is the dealer locator. When you find a dealer, you can just tap your finger on the screen to actually call the dealer (remember, it’s a phone too!) You can access all of Trek’s blogs, and any of the video content from the full site.

There is some content on the full site that doesn’t exist on the iPhone-optimized site, and iPhone users can follow a link to the full site if they need to view that content. Because iPhones run a fully functional version of Safari as opposed to a stripped-down mini-browser, no features are compromised.

The Best Technology For the Best Clients
We are grateful to work with clients like Trek with the vision to embrace emerging technologies. They understand that the best technology informs and empowers end users. Of course the most informed and empowered users buy the best products, like Trek bicycles.

Check it out at: www.trekbikes.com