Mobile Site Rolls Out
The Health Science Center rolled out a web site for mobile-device users in August. Called uthscsa.mobi, the new site uses small files to speed downloads, and provides listings, directories and information suited for people on foot, in a vehicle or otherwise away from a desktop browser.
Better view: Some devices clip the traditional homepage (left). The .mobi site is suited for small screens.
Student and staff users gave the site high marks in tests in January, and a preview in July. They also identified fixes, and expressed a desire for additional features.
"The goal is to provide fast and direct information," said Jim Barrett, webmaster. "Many mobile users pay based on their usage or downloads so lightweight files not only provide speed, they save money."
The site offers:
- Department phone numbers and room numbers
- Student and faculty-staff directories
- Visitor directions and photos of campus landmarks
- Search and reference sites
- Event listings
The site is aimed at the growing number of users with web-enabled mobile devices.
Students were early adopters of handheld technology, and the university now issues BlackBerry devices to many of its mid- and upper-level managers, Barrett said.
Faculty members report evidence of the growing use. Speaking to medical students at the start of the 2009 academic year, clinical professor Robert Badgett, M.D., asked how many of them were carrying a web-enabled handheld device. "Half of the hands in the room went up," Dr. Badgett said.
The site adheres to an industry standard for coding called XHTML Mobile. It is suited for browsers in both low-end telephones and high-end smartphones. Some handheld browsers cut off parts of conventional web pages, or show one quadrant of the page because of limited screen space. The site presents pages sized for 2- to 3-inch wide screens. Most pages are about 6-7 kilobytes.