The tech world is always changing, and with it the popularity of tablets has only grown in the last two years.  This has forced companies to examine how their website will look on a tablet  when designed, efficiency is the key since there is a need to serve the customers using this new form of online access. Here are a few things you should think about when making your website tablet friendly.

Avoid Flash, period!

Flash or an animated graphic that has been created by Adobe Flash technology, does not work on  Ipad the tablet with the largest market share. Companies should be aware if their home page features any flash as headers and video players often do.  Androids do support Flash, but the performance is very poor, so it is best if companies avoid Flash altogether.  But fear not, with a half decent developer you should be able to substitute for Flash include HTML5 and JavaScript which both feature the same effects as Flash.

Avoid Drop-Down Menus

It is best to avoid drop-down menus on your website if you can. If you would like to keep your drop-down menus, ensure that there are visual cues (for example arrows) that show tablet users that the menu can be opened further and expanded. Instead of using drop-down menus, you should try creating a showcase page for the different sections of the site so that tablet users can easily navigate around the site and find all the available subpages with minimal interaction and navigation

Touch Interaction Versus Mouse Interaction

Due to the fact that tablet users are not clicking or scrolling a mouse, it is important that companies design buttons which are the size of a fingertip instead of cursor.  Tablet users are able should easily and naturally flip around your site without trying to grasp tiny buttons. Users may become quickly frustrated if links are packed too tightly together, so it is important that companies realize that the clicking and scrolling of a mouse is replaced by the more natural touching and swiping gestures common on most tablets.

Design Your Forms Accordingly

A lot of company websites require users to fill out some kind of form, sometimes as part of an email subscription, or when they are submitting a request for more information. For this reason, it is important that companies look over their forms, and ensure that all of the fields are clearly indicated and easily accessible to tablet users.  Companies should also consider making forms less lengthy if at all  possible, by this I mean make sure that your forms don’t have too many fields, as tablet users may get easily frustrated filing out a long form. If after reading these tips on how to achieve a tablet-friendly website you are still unsure whether or not your website is tablet-friendly, the best way to see how your site performs is by testing it in and out,  then ask a less tech savvy person to do the same.  As more and more consumers opt to join the tablet nation, it’s important to consider how your website design effects tablet navigation and usability. A few quick fixes could be all your site needs to provide a top notch user experience.