One block at a time: Building a mobile site
description
Transcript of One block at a time: Building a mobile site
One block at a time: Building a mobile site
Chad HaefeleReference Librarian for Emerging TechnologiesUNC Chapel Hill
What I’ll be showing you
A tour through our development process
The building blocks you’ll need to do it yourself, and the decisions you’ll need to make along the way
A quick look at a mobile site generator
A walkthrough of our completed site
Why mobile?
Block #1: Survey your users
Plus 44 ‘other’ responses
Data from Spring, 2009
Sample ‘Other’ responses:
Cell phone Cheap free phone Braille Note Carrier pigeon Lame old phone :( My cheap phone that always has at least 2
bars
Block #2: Platform
Vs.
Java, Objective C
Single platform
Full hardware access(GPS, camera, etc)
Can be used offline
Tricky to get stats
HTML, CSS, Javascript
Multi-platform (maybe)
Limited hardware access (GPS only)
Requires web connection
Standard webstats
App Webapp
Platform: App or Webapp?
Block #3: Framework
Jason Clark’s: http://diginit.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/mobile-web-design-working-code-tips-best-practices/
or
http://bit.ly/cXlnlS
www.lib.utc.edu/m
Block #3: Framework
iUI: code.google.com/p/iui/
Mobile site generator:www.hiddenpeanuts.com/msg
www.lib.unc.edu/m
Device testing
iPhone/iPod Touch
Device testing
Android
Device testing Text only
Block #4: Data sources & Outside systems RSS feeds XML Other systems
Computer availabilityeResourcesHours IM / text a librarian services
Block #5: Custom code
http://dclibrarylabs.org/ iPhone app code
(app)
iUI code (webapp)http://code.google.com/p/iui/
Block #6: Catalog
Catalog optionsDo it yourself ILS vendor-provided solution3rd party product
Catalog: DIY
Priority 1: Get a clean data feedXML feeds from ILSYaz / Z39.50 (http://www.indexdata.com/yaz)Other solution – tap into DB directly somehow
Harass your vendors!
Catalog: DIY (at UNC) Endeca, Endeca, Endeca! XML + php + Syndetics + iUI
Catalog: ILS solutions Airpac, from Innovative
Catalog: 3rd party product
Librarything – “Library Anywhere”
“Works with 90% of current OPACs.”
Block #7: Promotion
Block #8: Evaluate & Iterate
Apple: 78%
Android: 12%
Questionable: Out of 2261 total visits? Most still come from Firefox & IE
Rough stats: Visits, January 2010
UNC Mobile site walkthrough
+ ‘View full site link’
www.lib.unc.edu/m
www.lib.unc.edu/m/plain
UNC Mobile site walkthrough
Catalog
UNC Mobile site walkthrough
UNC Mobile site walkthrough
Blocks (review) Survey Platform Framework Data sources Custom code Catalog Promotion Evaluate & Iterate