Isn't it just the way? After you have finally got a website you are reasonably proud of from a user experience point of view, Steve Jobs and Apple go and shift the goal posts by launching the iPhone, then a second time by creating the iPad (not to mention the host of copycats in hot pursuit).
All of a sudden you need to think about how customers will cope when trying to navigate around your site using their finger rather than a mouse. Probably something you could ignore if touch screen devices remain a small minority of your audience - but when you realise that it won't be long before more customers are accessing your site on touch screen devices than PCs, the urgency of this issue becomes clear.
A new approach
For this very reason we've been modifying how we approach web design. For example, if you have an iPad (or similar) take a look at our site on it. Hopefully you will appreciate how we've thought about the user experience for touch screen users; for example, we have minimised the use of Flash (which doesn't work on an iPad), we've made navigation links larger, and we've ensured the user experience remains clear and focused regardless of what device you're using. If you have time, you should also have a look at Birmingham Airport's site on a tablet device. Although this site was designed before the iPad was launched, we did our best to future proof it and we think it shows.
Focused utility
Smartphones represent another level of challenge. Not only do you have to think about non-mouse navigation, there's also the small screen to take into consideration. We call our approach to this challenge 'focused utility', i.e. stripping away all of the non-essential information and ornamentation, and presenting the customer with a simple menu of key functions.
We're about to launch a version of Bristol Airport's website designed specically for smartphones. Follow us on Twitter for updates or check back to our site soon.