1. Going Mobile!How UVU Launched Their Mobile Initiative Nathan Gerber Director, Web Development Services Utah Valley University
2. Introductions Nathan Gerber @nathangerber 16 years Web IA experience Director, Web Development Services Noel-Levitz Associate Consultant, Web Strategy Services Team Utah Valley University Largest state university in Utah (almost…one more student) 32,000+ students 28,000+ public pages
3. What We Will Be Covering Why we did it Research shows… What we did We decided to… How we did it “Baby steps, Bob, baby steps” Tools we used CMS, sniffer, GA, lots of devices Next steps Where do we go from here…
4. You Are Here Can you find my son in this picture?
8. Mobile Phone Use, 2009 – 2011 80% of adults (18-29yrs) own mobile phones in 2010… no change from 2009 2009 2010 2011 Take a photo… 66 to 76 to 93% Send & receive text messages… 65 to 72 to 95% Send & receive email… 25 to 34 to 52% Access the Internet… 25 to 38 to 65% From Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC
9. E-Expectations: Noel-Levitz 24% may drop college after poor web experience 23% searched college websites via smartphones Most desired web content: Information on academics… 54% List of academic programs… 28% Cost related information… 30% Do you have my program? How Much will it cost? Will I fit in?
10. Google Analytics for UVUFor President’s Report 1551% IN 8 MONTHS (from 10,534 to 173,953 visits) *Still only 2.5% of overall traffic
11. Build A New Mobile Site? “Mobilize, don’t miniaturize”… anon. “… the mobile context is so different from the desktop one it deserves direct consideration vs. just mangling down a full-size site.” - Drew Stevenson, University of Minnesota, 2010 Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC
12. This Is How We Felt Web team resources Mobile web project
14. The Big Guy Has To Agree Their response: “Ok, but don’t spend too many resources and don’t ask for any more. After all, it is only 2% of our overall traffic.” We approached it as an information item, not for approval (Learning to deal with HIPPOS)
17. Native Apps Pros Controlled user experience Use hardware features Off-line usage Uses app code on device Cons Develop for each platform Different experience based on device Cost/time to develop/deploy Testing not as easy Upgrades/version requires new download
18. Mobile Web Pros Cost/time to develop is less Upgrades quicker Accessible to all/no installation More discoverable Cons Customer satisfaction User experience/performance depends on design More difficult to access native device capabilities No offline mode
19. App or Site – Future? That is so last year! Is there an app for that? What about a framework?
20. Mobile Web – Other Questions http://www.dmolsen.com/mobile-in-higher-ed/
21. Second Decision What devices do we build for and support? iPhone, Android, iPad, iPod Why? Because our users have them (and so do our Administrators)
24. Third Decision How big do we make our first attempt? Start with info for students Choose top content Don’t try to publishing everything* Be willing to make mistakes* Be flexible* Design and redesign* Add apps where needed *from TAMUmobile – HighEd Web 2010 Baby steps, Bob, baby steps
25. What Is The Top Content? http://www.dmolsen.com/mobile-in-higher-ed/
28. UVUmobile Features Width changes with device orientation Page weight is light Sniffs for mobile devices Content coming from OmniUpdate (CMS) Other system feeds presented by OU Content is driven by user need (Content is King!)
31. Fourth Decision What comes after the first rollout? User driven – feedback system Focus on key audiences – Current/Future Students Functions and features What do our users need to do when they are mobile?
33. Three Phases of UVUmobile(at least) Start with browser site Static content, links to other apps Expand features User Services Add apps where needed Current and future students The great merge Public site and mobile site come closer together User needs
34. Tools Used OmniUpdate Browser sniffer Analytics HTML 5 Lots of devices Some Emulators Other High Ed mobile sites http://mobiforge.com/emulators/page/mobile-emulators
35. Next Steps for UVUmobile Creating a launch panel for other UVU apps Create app functionality where needed Integration of OmniUpdate and other systems data sets Continual migration of public site and mobile to together In concepts, principle, driving factors
36. Other HigherEd Mobile Sites http://www.dmolsen.com/mobile-in-higher-ed/?page_id=43 http://www.edustyle.net/gallery_mobile.php When evaluating, look at: Design Usability Content Services Focus Keep mobile user in mind
37. Summary Mobile is changing the way we view/consume content and services Research, decide, modify as you go Choose what works for your institution Keep Admin informed CMS is a key tool – XML Get on board! Higher Ed is already behind
38. “It is not about making our site work on a mobile device, it is about what our users need when they’re mobile” - Mobile Web Team, Utah Valley University
