Better Numerical Inputs for Mobile Forms

My colleagues in Chicago just launched a great responsively-designed greygoose.com, and Jason Grigsby and I were wondering how they brought up the user-friendlier telephone keypad in iOS instead of the ok-but-not-great number keypad. The team dynamically set the input type to tel with Javascript, but we were wondering if there would be a better way. After some Twitter-talk with Grigsby and Chris Coyier, I set up a demo page to see if setting pattern=”[0-9]* would make a difference. Thankfully it [...]

Test on Real Mobile Devices without Breaking the Bank

Mobile is the future of the web, so it’s time to start investing in some mobile devices. Testing on actual devices is now an absolutely essential part of web design. Stephanie Rieger explains that there are crucial aspects of a web experience you simply can’t realize by resizing your browser or using emulators: true site performance, device capabilities, form factor, pixel density and the impact of the network. What devices should you get? How much is it going to set [...]

A tel Tale Sign

In this responsive age, it’s worth pointing out that mobile phones can make things called “telephone calls.” Once upon a time, in an era before web forms and e-mail, the best way to make a dinner reservation, place an order, or get help from customer service was to pick up the phone, dial a number, listen for a few rings and (hopefully) talk to a human on the other end of the line. As it turns out, phone calls are [...]

Support Vs Optimization

A few things usually happen when I bring up the existence of mobile devices/browsers that aren’t iOS and Android. First, people give me a blank stare. Then they respond, “Well…fuck them”. (I’m not just being cheeky here, this sentiment has been expressed to me on multiple occasions.) As more connected devices enter the landscape, it’s important to discuss how we as web creators are going to deal with the sheer number of devices, browsers, operating systems, and form factors. Moving [...]