Laying Ground Work For Mobile

1. STAFF

   Paul Edmondsonposted 11 years ago

   Today we made a few changes to the site as part of a substantial project we are currently working on to improve the overall mobile experience on HubPages.  The two changes you will notice today are:
   
   The profile page now lists Hubs in a single column (The same number of Hubs are displayed).  http://heathersays.hubpages.com/
   The topic page now lists Hubs in a single column (On desktop, the same number of Hubs are displayed, on mobile we are displaying twenty). http://hubpages.com/topics/food-and-cooking/1491
   
   The single column view translates much better to mobile.  You can now view the topic page on a mobile device and see how it looks.  The profile page is under construction and won't be ready for several weeks.
   
   As always we develop iteratively, so you can expect to see these improvements rolled out as they're ready.  More coming soon!

   replyreport
   1. 0

      delleaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent news! I am in the hospital and its much easier to use a tablet than a laptop, though it is difficult to type without a keyboard.

      replyreport
2. 67

   relacheposted 11 years ago

   So far that's looking pretty smooth on an iPad, without looking like it's purely for phones.

   replyreport
3. 87

   rebekahELLEposted 11 years ago

   It think it looks great.  It's much easier to scroll on desktop and mobile device.  The hubs look more prominent also.

   replyreport
   1. 77

      CraftytotheCoreposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for letting us know Paul.

      replyreport
4. 83

   Gordon Hamiltonposted 11 years ago

   This change in many ways represents (as does so much else) the definitive double edged sword for me. My idea of a mobile device is a laptop and I wouldn't have a clue how to use one of those hand held things... I turn away when everyone I know is using theirs! SMS messaging was an innovative concept when I got my present mobile/cell phone...
   
   However, I do understand that I am the dinosaur and that the world is moving on without me. I therefore welcome changes that are designed to improve the user experience for the majority and my income at the end of the day. Good to see that HP as always has its finger very much on the Internet pulse!

   replyreport
5. STAFF

   Paul Edmondsonposted 11 years ago

   By the end of next year, I bet we will be approaching 70+% of traffic coming from mobile (phones and pads).
   
   Google is doing a lot of work to help improve the monetization of mobile.  The work we are doing now will position us to use it effectively.

   replyreport
   1. 70

      Shanna11posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      This is great! I use my phone to surf hubpages quite often and I'm glad to see that the site is improving on mobile phone platforms.

      replyreport
6. 76

   DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years ago

   So is this for all mobile platforms, or just phones/iPad types of devices?  I have  a Nook reader, but it is pretty slow and not all that user-friendly for Internet access.  (I think they said it's Android-based.) It's mostly used for downloading games and books.  I only use it for general Internet access if I can't sleep and don't want to wake hubby by firing up the main computer...

   replyreport
   1. 71

      brakel2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I had an Android phone and had to return it, as it did not make webpages look good. At least the HubPage app did not look good on it. It may have something to do with Java script.

      replyreport
7. 82

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 11 years ago

   Great idea & great changes!  When I am not writing or editing a hub, I am on a mobile device most of the time.  I'm glad the site will be more 'mobile-friendly' now!

   replyreport
8. 79

   Barbara Kayposted 11 years ago

   I appreciate the hard work and changes. Thanks.

   replyreport
   1. 63

      ologsinquitoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for all of the effort.

      replyreport
9. 85

   jansharesposted 11 years ago

   Thanks, Paul. Great news and great looking change. My profile looks really good on my Kindle Fire. Your forecast about "70% of traffic" coming from mobile by the end of next year is spot on. I heard yesterday's news about how Goggle's new algorithms are geared more toward searches on mobile devices. This is indeed the trend. With that said, how can we as hubbers begin to think more about "mobile device search" when we create our hubs? For example, I have already begun enlarging images in the hubs so they can be seen on mobile phones. What else do you suggest?

   replyreport
   1. 71

      brakel2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Why would enlarging photos help on mobile? I will check out some hubs to see how it looks. This is all so different, but I am on my iPhone all the time, so maybe it will be better. Sometimes on my mobile  phone, a long space appears before I get to text. I wonder what would cause that phenomena. Maybe we can share experiences. Thank you Paul for working on these changes.

      replyreport
10. 70

    Glenn Stokposted 11 years ago

    I like this new layout using a single column for both mobile and desktops. I think it helps people find hubs better. Using two columns, as before, can cause someone to scroll down looking at just one column and missing anything in the other column.  So this should help a great deal, not only for mobile.

    replyreport
11. 95

    MizBejabbersposted 11 years ago

    I wasn't sure about it when I first saw it on a 23 inch computer screen, but I think I'm going to like it. I'll check it out on my Kindle Fire.

    replyreport