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Troubleshooting on the Mobile Web

Users of mobile web are in general a very fickle bunch. In general there is a very small window of opportunity in which to gain the trust of a user when s/he enters a mobile web site for the first time.

If an error occurs during this time then the resulting negative impression will mean it is unlikely the user will visit the site again. In spite of extensive testing it may not always be possible to predict potential errors that may occur due to the large number of variables involved.

In order to assist in determining errors that users of a site may be experiencing it is recommended that the web site's error log be checked on a regular basis. For sites with a particularly large volume of traffic, error log analysis tools exist which facilitate the identification of significant errors while ignoring trivial errors.

Identification of errors may also be facilitated by ensuring that the code of a web site catches errors and logs error information in a consistent manner providing as much useful information as possible, presented in meaningful way. Care should also be taken that error information not be output to the client as this may result in a security risk (i.e. information about the architecture of the site may be revealled).

Consider also soliciting user feedback on your site either via e-mail or an on-line form.


CategoryBpErrorMessages

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