Site review: Daily Mirror
nma.co.uk | 4 December 2008 | Ilico Elia, European mobile product manager, Reuters Media
Text ‘mirror’ to 67800
Agency Bluestar Mobile
Platform Mobile IQ’s Fabric
The Daily Mirror mobile site is the first relaunch in a strategy to provide multi-platform access to all Trinity Mirror websites. We’ll undoubtedly see other titles using the same features, so this should be a good indication of what’s to come.
Access
Entering http://mirror.co.uk in a phone’s browser (I used a Nokia N82 and an iPhone), I was automatically redirected to the mobile site. This means you get the best possible experience for a small-screen device.
Not being a regular Mirror reader, I browsed its website to see what kind of promotion it was giving to the mobile site and found it had pride of place in the main navigation. This is a good sign Trinity is serious about mobile as a platform. It was here I found that by sending ‘mirror’ to 67800 I would be sent a link to the site via SMS and automatically be entered into a competition to win £500. This is a great incentive to visit the site. I sent the text but am still waiting for my return SMS, which is probably just due to a glitch in the network.
Presentation
First impressions of the site are that it’s bright and colourful, with plenty of content, using the same channel-by-channel colour scheme as the main website. This is a great example of consistent branding, ensuring regular users of the main site are comfortable and can find their way around easily. Easy access to all sections is available at the bottom of every page, which is also becoming common across many mobile content sites. And it’s great to see The Mirror using images intelligently, to add interest without slowing down the site too much.
Usability
Navigating the site on my iPhone, I noticed it doesn’t distinguish between what’s clickable and what isn’t, which is usually marked out by different colours or underlined links. This meant it was tricky trying to work out where links are and I found myself tapping the screen randomly to see if it would respond. This isn’t the case with a standard phone as links are highlighted as you cycle through them.
My favourite piece of functionality was Personalise My Mirror, which allows you to specify which content channels you want on the home page, allowing for quicker access to your favourite news. Very few sites do this and I like the way the Mirror has kept the implementation simple, which is exactly what’s required on a mobile device. This personalisation also extends to areas like weather and horoscopes, where you can choose to remember a default location and star sign, which is then available on your personalised home page.
The bottom line
The site is easy to get around, quick, fun and intuitive, with a good mix of news, sport and lighter content. If you’re a regular reader of the website or newspaper, you’ll feel right at home. I would only ask for more personalisation, such as getting news about your favourite football club available from the home page.
