Disqus
In a new section for IntoMobile, I am going to take a regular look at the state of the UK MNO homepages – in terms of what’s on them, their arrangement (user interface), and anything else that I think pertinent.
Web has grown to become it’s own respectable channel for purchasing, services, support, and CRM, so it’s only fair to spend some time taking a look at what’s on offer – if like me you browse mobile shops in the UK to see what is being promo’d, this would be the interweb equivalent!
First of all, we are going to take a look at two of the big boys – O2 and Vodafone:
O2
O2 has the cool blue colour theme to it’s website – it’s easy on the eye, and the nice contrast of colours makes things stand out. There is always a battle between how much text you have on a page, but I would say the balance is pretty good. Promo-wise, the Nokia N95-8GB is featured, as O2 has just started selling them (Vodafone had the exclusive before). Interesting there is no sign of the iPhone on the homepage, but instead links to O2′s convergence offering of broadband….
Vodafone
Vodafone is (obviously) rocking the red colour scheme, and has adopted a not-dissimilar approach to O2 with the navigation options -horizontal menu banner, and columised categories. The feature phone is the (exclusive) Samsung F700. A Flash Tariff promo is also draws the eyes on page-load.
So that’s two of the big guns in the UK – Vodafone and O2 – their websites are functional (i.e. they serve the need), branded, and relatively clear – but do they do what you expect from them?
With the advent of AJAX-based ‘web 2.0′ pages (I had to toss a cliche in there!), should they be adopting a more interactive, and personalisable experience? Thoughts on a virtual postcard (the comments section) please….!
Ben
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
