ptg16476052598 LESSON 21: Designing for the Mobile Web
Don’t Split Topics Across Pages
Each web page works best if it covers a single topic in its entirety. Don’t split topics
across pages; even if you link between them, the transition can be confusing. It will
be even more confusing if someone jumps in on the second or third page and wonders
what’s going on.
Plus, it’s really common to see long documents or search results pages or the like with
links that are single-digit numbers. These are way too short to tap on a mobile device. If
you must have this type of pagination on a site, make the links large with CSS padding
and then set the entire link to display:block; or display:inline-block;. This will tell
the browser to make the entire box, including padding, tappable on smaller screens.
If you think that one topic is becoming too large for a single page, consider reorganizing
the page so that you can break up the topic into subtopics. This tip works especially well
in hierarchical organizations. It enables you to determine the exact level of detail that
each level of the hierarchy should go and exactly how big and complete each page should
be. You can then make the links out of the subtopic titles as long as they are at least two
words long.Sign Your Pages
Each page should contain some sort of information at the bottom to act as the signature.
I mentioned this tip briefly in Lesson 7, “Formatting Text with HTML and CSS,” as part
of the description of the <address> tag. That particular tag was intended for just this
purpose.
Consider putting the following useful information in the <address> tag on each page:
n Contact information for the person who created this web page or who is responsible
for it. This information should include the person’s name and an email address, at
the least.
n The status of the page. Is it complete? Is it a work in progress? Is it intentionally
left blank?
n The date this page was most recently revised. This information is particularly
important for pages that change often or are time sensitive. Include a date on each
page so that people know how old it is.
n Copyright or trademark information, if it applies.