With an increasing number of online users going mobile, it has become imperative to build a responsive mobile chiropractic website that provides a quality mobile-user experience. A number of elements must work together seamlessly to support an enhanced user experience with multiple mobile devices. Let's discuss some of these elements and why they are pivotal to providing your patients and potential patients with the user experience they desire.
Logical, Navigable Information Structure
The functionality and content of your chiropractic website must be arranged in a logical information structure in order to help mobile users to search and navigate the site efficiently, and find information quickly. Mobile users should be able to navigate the most important content in minimal taps or key presses.
The tap size of the navigation should be at least 30 pixels. Keypad shortcuts should be made available to help users quickly access a link. Labels for links and navigation items should be as concise and clear as possible.
Easily Controllable Multimedia Content
Your chiropractic website should provide content in a balanced mix of text, images, graphics and videos. When it comes to appeasing mobile users, it is important to provide user control over multimedia content. Videos / sound should not auto-start, and users should have the option to skip such content if they are mindful of the bandwidth it consumes on their mobile devices.
Mobile-Optimized Content
Mobile users are likely to have shorter attention spans compared to users accessing your website on their office / home computers. Mobile-specific content should be more concise and preferably utilize shorter headlines. The site should provide the option to expand the content to its full version if the user so desires. Videos, graphics and images should be optimized for the mobile devices to fit multiple screen sizes and provide sharp images.
Efficient User Input
User input or the need to enter data should be minimized on your chiropractic mobile website. For instance, if you have contact, inquiry and/or registration forms, the field requirements should be minimal. Shorter substitutes may be used wherever possible, such as a ZIP code instead of city and state. Employ spellcheck suggestions and auto-completion features to reduce the user's effort. Wherever appropriate, disable features such as CAPTCHA.
Usability of Design
Touchability on the mobile website should be clear, and items such as icons, button, and links should be visibly tappable. Touch targets should be well-spaced and appropriately sized to minimize selection errors. Usability in variable conditions should remain consistent.
Design elements such as color, contrast, and font type and size should be appropriate for daylight glare and different angles of viewing and orientation. Technologies that are not universally supported on mobile devices, such as Flash, pop-ups, auto-refresh and JavaScript, should be avoided.
Privacy and Security
Typically, smartphone users are concerned with the privacy and security of their personal data. To provide a trustworthy and comfortable user experience, your mobile website should not include any apps that may collect personal information, such as user location and contact list, without their permission. Include privacy and security policies clearly on your website that reinforce credibility.
Integration With Social
Your social media presence should be highlighted on your mobile site. Social network integration should allow for easy sharing, tagging, liking, commenting and bookmarking via the mobile website.
Mobile-user experience is a continually evolving field, and it is important to stay abreast with the new developments, technologies and mobile apps that will enhance this experience. Users typically engage with your chiropractic website through multiple screen devices; a robust website that appeals to site visitors (existing and prospective patients) will have the right mix of elements to support most of them, if not all.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
Some pundits say that the upcoming presidential and congressional races, and many local races, might be the most consequential in our country’s history. We do not have the choice of sitting on the sidelines and hoping our patients will carry our water. Unlike other medical professions such as physical therapists, podiatrists, nurses, etc., the health care class (AMA) will not protect us. We must be in the game.
The most common condition affecting the shoulder is rotator-cuff disease. From acute tears to chronic tendinopathy, it’s common and needs a thorough workup. In fact, even asymptomatic shoulders can have full-thickness rotator-cuff rears in up to 40% of instances. Let’s look at additional conditions that can present to the office with weakness, loss of motion and pain in the shoulder beyond rotator-cuff tears.
