Don't Shrink Web Apps To Fit The Mobile Screen

I was testing the beta version of a mobile application last week and realized that the designers of the mobile application had provided all the features of the web version of the application in the mobile version, in the same layout as the web version of the software. They just shrunk the icons and screens to fit the smaller screen.

It don't think they took advantage of the interesting new possibilities of this mobile interface. That is a wasted opportunity to provide mobile users with a great user experience. Instead of striving to provide all features in the mobile version, which is clearly unnecessary, the designers could have focused on the features that users may want to use from the mobile device.

Image from : http://wireframes.linowski.ca

For some business reasons, if they must add all features in the mobile version, they could have buried the less important features behind a menu.

My recommendation to all mobile app designers is to be bold and provide only the features you think are absolutely necessary for the user in a mobile situation. Avoid the temptation to cram every feature available in the web version into the mobile version as well.