Users complete just 59 percent of mobile web tasks

The average success rate for users completing tasks on the mobile web is 59 percent, compared to 80 percent for websites accessed via conventional PC, according to user-experience research firm Nielsen Norman Group. Not counting poor network coverage, the report identifies four primary obstacles hampering the mobile web user experience: Small screens, awkward input, download delays and websites not optimized for the mobile platform. "The first two problems are inherent to mobile devices, and as for connectivity, it's going to take many years before mobile connections are as fast as even a modest cable modem," said Nielsen Norman user experience specialist Raluca Budiu in a prepared statement. "The key opportunity for improving the mobile user experience lies in websites being designed specifically for better mobile usability."  

Nielsen Norman notes that test participants who visited websites designed specifically for mobile access averaged success rates of 64 percent, compared to the 53 percent rate of success of mobile users attempting to reach sites not optimized for wireless handsets. The study adds that user performance could be improved by as much as 20 percent by creating mobile-optimized sites.

For more on the user experience study:
- read this release

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