One of the things that I took away from this article is that compatibility is a serious issue when it comes to designing a mobile website, even moreso than designing a "standard" website for desktop browsers ... I used to fancy myself a web designer in college, and back then I always found it a real hassle trying to make sure every single web browser/operating system could display my creations the way I wanted (Will these tables format correctly in earlier versions of Netscape Navigator? Will these fonts display in Mac OS 8? etc. etc.)
Anyway, it seems like things are an even bigger headache nowadays having to deal with the explosion of newly possible entry points to the web (the article mentions "thousands of devices and hundreds of browsers"), and this can have a serious effect on librarians that are attempting to draw in patrons by designing a mobile version of their library's website ... After all, if the library's mobile website isn't compatible with a patron's particular mobile device, they will simply give up and look elsewhere for their information needs.
The article mentions that a push for conformance within the mobile world has not met with much success, as there has been "little movement from cell phone providers and browsers to agree to and adopt" a set of standards ... Oh, there are standardized tools available (like MobileOK and MobiReady) which librarians can use to test their mobile sites, but the fact is that not everyone can agree on a form of "code compliance," and this leaves the door open for mobile users (and by extension library patrons) to suffer with incompatibility issues as a result.
The authors admit that "mobile application testing is often an issue in mobile application development", but do give a few suggestion on testing methods to use - such as browser simulators and device emulators - before having one's new mobile site go "live" ... However, we must remember that smartphones and internet-enabled cellphones aren't the only mobile devices on the market. There are PDAs, tablets, even handheld gaming consoles (Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, GP2X Caanoo, etc.) come equipped with web browsers now! All of these devices could be a potential gateway for patrons seeking information, and (if librarians truly want to serve all members of their community) then they must take such things into account.
Obviously, the authors do not recommend taking on the herculean task of researching every single device for compatibility issues ("testing on all devices is out of the question"), and using the most popular devices for mobile application testing should be enough to cover the largest percentage of a library's particular user base. The authors say as much when they state that by "identifying device families between which the user experience is the same or similar, you can greatly reduce the numbers of devices on which to test" (i.e. it's "good enough") ... Unfortunately, just like the well-known "digital divide", some patrons are going to be left out in the cold when it comes to accessing their library's mobile website in this scenario.
However, the article does provide a useful suggestion that might get around this problem: the authors talk about "focus groups and online surveys [as a way] to have users evaluate a mobile site and provide feedback even after the mobile site is released." By targeting actual patrons (either by posting a survey on the traditional website or even walking up to someone in the library who is typing away on their mobile device), it gives librarians a chance to gauge what their users are looking for in terms of a mobile website experience and - if the mobile site is already "live" - if they are experiencing any compatibility issues.
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