Back in 1995 I held a job doing technical support for receptionists and administrative assistants at Microsoft. I had lots and lots of downtime which I used to explore all sorts of learning options. At one point I even tried teaching myself Java! In any case, I was pretty interested in art and graphic design, and I stumbled across this nifty little program called FutureSplash Animator (which would become Flash) and some books in the Microsoft library detailing how to use it. After lots of experimenting and a few books on HTML I had a simple web site up. I began to show that around and people began to ask if I could build sites for them. About a year later I had my first real web design job working as a coder for Boeing.

You're the former editor-in-chief of Digital Web Magazine known for its useful and informative content. How did you ensure that what you published was valuable to your audience?

It wasn't always easy, that's for sure. I, and my other editors, spent lots and lots of time reviewing submissions, talking about what our readers would like to see us publish and planning out future issues of the magazine. It's interesting how difficult it is to find good quality content, it takes lots of time, effort and a real willingness to seek out and find good writers with something useful to say.

You now are the Principal and the Creative Director at Blue Flavor specializing in user experience design for mobile devices. What are the key points to consider when designing for mobile web?

The mobile web can be tricky, but it's not rocket science. I'd say the best way to ensure a good mobile web experience is to take a keen look at the whys and hows of how your audience will use your mobile web site in context. For example, if you're going to offer up your restaurant web site for mobile use, what are the important bits of content people will be seeking? And what's most important. Something like driving directions, for example, is probably more important in a mobile context than say the history of your eatery. Paying careful attention to the content you serve, and how you serve it, is key.

Mobile Web disadvantages such as small display size, low text input and low bandwidth are obvious. Would you speak on the advantages? Why is mobile web gaining so much popularity?

Well I think the number one advantage is plain as day: mobility. The ability to “take the web with you” is a very powerful advantage. When looking at the web, again, it's all about context. We can now bring content and services to our audiences whenever and wherever they are. That's pretty amazing for both the people building the mobile web and the people using it. As well, there are simply more people accessing the mobile web globally than there are accessing the traditional desktop web.

What are the core accessibility issues surrounding mobile web?

Well, again, most of these are obvious. The small screen, the actual physical interface of a mobile device, etc. all provide unique accessibility issues. As well, the mobile web inherits most, if not all, the same accessibility issues the desktop web presents. Having said that, the nature of how people use the web in a mobile context warrants simplicity and extra attention to some of these issues by default. In fact, I'd guess that if you took the best mobile web sites out there and put them on the desktop web, they'd be more accessible.

Where do you draw the line between interactive and industrial design in case of mobile phones?

Well, it's easy for us at Blue Flavor as we don't dabble in industrial design for mobile devices. Having said that, it's a good idea for someone designing for the mobile web to have a decent grasp of how users interact with all the differing physical interfaces out there, as well as how they navigate through the interfaces and applications that come on their devices.

You're an experienced blogger and publisher. What's your perspective on the future of mobblogging?

I think it's going to be huge, if it's not already. With the advent of micro-blogging (Twitter, etc.) and more and more tools allowing us to upload photos, video, etc. we'll be seeing more and more content created and uploaded via mobile devices. As interfaces and enabling technology gets better and better it'll become more compelling to more people as well. I think the future of mobile content creation really lies more in video and photos than it does in text however. I think micro-blogging, tagging and all of that will be around but I see great opportunity and lots of compelling experiences around video being the true future of mobblogging.

What web publishing tools and applications should someone interested in mobblogging be looking for in a cellphone?

Well, I guess it depends on what you'd be looking to do. My guess is that a device with good text input, a great camera and the ability to capture video would be best. Again, I think the future of mobblogging lies more in media creation than it does in text.

Besides iPhone, what cell phones provide the best access to the Web?

Well, anything that runs Webkit or Opera as their browser would be good. To be honest we've been focusing quite a bit on iPhone lately and pretty much everything else pales in comparison.

How is mobile web marketing different? Does it require special strategies?

Well, yeah, it's different in a few ways, again, I'll go back to context. People use the mobile web much differently than they do the desktop web, and that requires strategies that pay off how, and when, and where, they're accessing the mobile web. I think we're still in a time when we're figuring it out and it's always changing and evolving. Of course, and it will continue to change, especially as we begin to see more location based technology. Imagine being able to tell your phone, or some mobile application, you're a “fan” of a particular store and when you walk into that store you received a text welcoming you and telling you about the deals going on right now.

Do you personally use mobile web? When and how?

I use it less than I would like to, simply because, even on an iPhone the experience on lots of sites is pretty bad. I do use it too look at Twitter (http://m.twitter.com) and I use Leaflets (http://www.getleaflets.com) - the mobile application suite Blue Flavor designed and built quite a bit. Out side of that, Google and Wikipedia get a fair amount of use, I suppose. As sites get more “mobile-centric” I'm sure I'll use it much more.

What inspires you the most in your work? What inspiration sources, both online and real-life ones, would you recommend to the readers?

Well, I love the creative process. I enjoy making things and solving problems. I also really like helping out others with my creativity. That's what keeps me going. As far as inspiration, I find it all over. I think I get most particularly inspired talking to others in creative fields, not just those designing for the web or mobile. I'd suggest going to meet-ups and conferences and engaging like-minded people in conversation about their work.

What's your advice to beginning mobile web designers?

Well, the mobile web isn't as hard as it's sometimes made out to be. If you've got a solid understanding of web design and web development with a focus on web standards you're a good way along already. You just need to learn how to translate that to mobile and there are lots of resources online to help you do that. Always keep in mind that the user's context is of utmost importance and people will use different types of content and features in different ways on the mobile web than they do on the desktop web. I'm a huge fan of designing mobile-specific experiences as I find them much more compelling than simply taking a desktop web site and “miniaturizing” it. Context, context, context - remember that and you'll be in a perfect frame of mind to create the next great mobile web experience.

Helen Walker