Is "one for all" even possible
I have seen a number of different approaches to the creation of templates for IBM SPSS Data Collection that aim to handle multiple languages, multiple browsers and multiple question types. The one approach I have not seen is a single master template with supporting sub-templates and transparently handle all desktop (Mac/PC) browsers and also provide an experience for basic mobile browsers.
If you look into the Internet you can find many companies who have achieved this for some or all of their websites.
So the question is, is this possible? Does it provide any benefits? Is it an approach that all customers can take to extend the reach of their surveys?
At the heart of the issue is the plethora of browsers available today and the range of capabilities of each of those browsers. This can be seen in wikipedia’s firstly their comparison of web browsers and secondly their comparison of mobile browsers. If there were a clear dominiant force in either or both of these markets they the majority of website designers would build for that format. This was the case through the 90’s with the dominance of Internet Explorer (IE). However that dominance is effectively at an end as shown by the following infographic:
The above graphic shows the long term evolution of desktop browsers but it ends in August 2009 and quite a lot has changed since then. Furthermore it does not cover mobile browsers. The next three charts are from the same web service and provide a more up to date picture (for more detail and other charts go to StatCounter).
Figure 1: Desktop Browsers by Version
This chart really highlights the rapid decline in Microsoft’s dominance. Okay there are three versions out there and the still amount to a very high percentage of market share, but it has fallen by 20% over the last few years and with issues such as the provision of choice for Europe (where Europeans are presented with a choice of browser rather than automatic installation of IE) market share can only continue to decline.
Figure 2: Desktop vs Mobile Browsers
This graphic surprised me because there is a lot of noise about mobile internet but this indicates that that noise is largely irrelevant at this time. This probably reflects the fact that a large portion of users are concerned about data costs and that combined with the percentage of users who do not have good internet access (no smartphone) means that mobiles have a way to go before they will challenge desktops. Further exploration at a country level shows that emerging territories such as India are showing more movement towards mobile browsing than Europe or the US.
Figure 3: Mobile Browsers
This graphic shows that there is no clear dominant factor in terms of Browser when looking at mobile devices. Many in Europe and the US may be surprised by the fact that Opera is top but in territories such as Japan this browser has real dominance. Opera Mini is seen as a very good browser and other non mobile products (such as the WII) use this browser. It is not clear whether the WII would be seen in the desktop or the mobile category.
With the advent, but not wholesale adoption of, HTML 5/CSS 3 and the fact that this standard is not due to be ratified until 2022. There are new ways to engage browsers users with more visual richness. One of the most talked about features of HTML 5 being its ability to embed video without the need for a plug-in such as Flash or Silverlight and its consequential high profile adoption by YouTube (amongst others). The approach by IBM/SPSS Data Collection has always been to be browser agnostic. This means delivering solutions without JavaScript and therefore without any richness. As much as this may have been a sensible policy 5 or 10 years ago, it now runs against the mainstream perception of the Internet and so Data Collection consumers need to add their own solution.
A small number of customers have explored User Agents to discover details regarding the device being used and to then send the person to the relevant template. This requires constant support as User Agents are not delivered in a standard way by providers and they only provide a relatively small amount of information. Also the building of multiple templates significantly increases the cost of support should customers come along requiring their own branded versions.
Its seems to me, therefore that a new approach is required. This would be a three stage approach utilising a combination of Graceful degradation and Progressive Enhancement (a short explanation). It starts with a basic HTML solution that is a fits all solution. It is then built upon using CSS capabilities to improve presentation and overall layout. Finally JavaScript is used to add richness where richness can be added. But is this solution possible?
Because I like a challenge I have set myself an objective of delivering such a solution over the next few weeks. I am interested in your opinion. Will I manage it? what should I be looking out for?
As usual I will keep you informed of my progress and show the end results so watch this space.
