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<p>First of all, users searching for Betfair on the iPhone's Safari browser are automatically diverted to the iPhone site, something which represents<a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3032-best-practice-tips-for-mobile-websites"> best practice for mobile websites</a>, as it makes it much easier for users to access the most appropriate version, and therefore makes it more likely that they can place a bet. </p>
<p><img alt="Betfair on iPhone home screen" height="286" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3400620987_d22044bff5_o.png" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="235" /></p>
<p>Since it offers a good range of sports and betting options, the desktop version of Betfair.com is a busy site, so adding a lot of this functionality to a small screen device and keeping it easy to use is a challenge. </p>
<p>Betfair has not added any graphics or pictures to the site, sticking with a<strong> simple, stripped down layout which is much more usable on a small mobile screen</strong>, as well as being faster to load.</p>
<p>It will work much better if you have already registered with Betfair on the standard website though. While you can register for a new account on the iPhone site, the registration page is the desktop version, making it a complicated and not very user-friendly process with a lot of fields to fill in and therefore much zooming in and out to be done. </p>
<p>Betfair offers markets on a lot of sports on the standard site, at least 30, and rather than just providing a selection of the most popular ones to keep it simple, it allows mobile users to bet on anything from Aussie Rules football to martial arts. </p>
<p>However, this amount of choice can make it harder to find the betting market you want. I searched for the England World Cup qualifier on Wednesday to place a bet, and the labelling of menu options left a bit to be desired. </p>
<p>After selecting 'popular sports' from the homepage, then 'soccer' (grrr) I had a huge list with more than 40 options before reaching 'World Cup', which was right at the bottom. From then, I have to select two further options before trying to remember which qualifying group England are in, which I couldn't. </p>
<p>There was a further option to search according to fixture date, but this had a similarly large menu: </p>
<p><img alt="" height="303" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3664/3401426926_f4604c10c0_o.png" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="235" /></p>
<p>From here, I did reach the England match, but <strong>with a simpler menu layout and better labelling and grouping, this would have been much easier</strong>. Why not have separate links for the most popular betting markets, like England matches, televised Premier League games, and events like the Grand National?</p>
<p>On a slow mobile connection, having so many menu options to trawl through could become very frustrating for users. </p>
<p><img alt="Betfair betting page" height="297" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3401426972_465de14b99_o.png" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="235" /></p>
<p>Once you get to the page, it is much better. For the England v Ukraine match above, there are plenty of options for different bets, and while it doesn't display as much detail as the standard website, it is good enough: </p>
<p><img alt="Betfair England v Ukraine" height="293" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3576/3401427048_39936c70e5_o.png" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="235" /></p>
<p>Most importantly, bets are easy to place once you have logged in, and once you have selected your odds, it is simply a case of entering the amount you want to bet and confirming it. </p>
<p><img alt="Betfair place bet screen" height="305" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3589/3400621127_a2919bbcdf_o.png" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="235" /></p>
<p>Betfair has produced a very good site here that has been made easy to use on the iPhone. A Bango survey, which we blogged about yesterday, said that the <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3593-study-iphones-and-mobile-commerce-do-not-mix">iPhone didn't make the top 20 phones for mobile commerce</a>. This is something which could easily change when more companies produce sites like this, which are optimised for mobile commerce. </p>
<p>For UK mobile users, unless you want to buy from a standard web version of a website on your mobile (which is tricky), your options are limited to companies that have produced decent mobile or iPhone sites; eBay, <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/2999-mobile-site-review-amazon-co-uk">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3582-mobile-site-review-interflora">Interflora</a>, which we reviewed last week (if there are others, let me know below).</p>
<p>I think the user experience could be improved with better navigation, or a search box to help users find the event they want to bet on more quickly. Aside from these issues though, <a href="https://iphone.betfair.com">Betfair</a> is a good example of an iPhone optimised site.</p>
<p>First of all, users searching for Betfair on the iPhone's Safari browser are automatically diverted to the iPhone site, something which represents<a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3032-best-practice-tips-for-mobile-websites"> best practice for mobile websites</a>, as it makes it much easier for users to access the most appropriate version, and therefore makes it more likely that they can place a bet. </p>
<p><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3400620987_d22044bff5_o.png" alt="Betfair on iPhone home screen" width="235" height="286" /></p>
<p>Since it offers a good range of sports and betting options, the desktop version of Betfair.com is a busy site, so adding a lot of this functionality to a small screen device and keeping it easy to use is a challenge. </p>
<p>Betfair has not added any graphics or pictures to the site, sticking with a<strong> simple, stripped down layout which is much more usable on a small mobile screen</strong>, as well as being faster to load.</p>
<p>It will work much better if you have already registered with Betfair on the standard website though. While you can register for a new account on the iPhone site, the registration page is the desktop version, making it a complicated and not very user-friendly process with a lot of fields to fill in and therefore much zooming in and out to be done. </p>
<p>Betfair offers markets on a lot of sports on the standard site, at least 30, and rather than just providing a selection of the most popular ones to keep it simple, it allows mobile users to bet on anything from Aussie Rules football to martial arts. </p>
<p>However, this amount of choice can make it harder to find the betting market you want. I searched for the England World Cup qualifier on Wednesday to place a bet, and the labelling of menu options left a bit to be desired. </p>
<p>After selecting 'popular sports' from the homepage, then 'soccer' (grrr) I had a huge list with more than 40 options before reaching 'World Cup', which was right at the bottom. From then, I have to select two further options before trying to remember which qualifying group England are in, which I couldn't. </p>
<p>There was a further option to search according to fixture date, but this had a similarly large menu: </p>
<p><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3664/3401426926_f4604c10c0_o.png" alt="" width="235" height="303" /></p>
<p>From here, I did reach the England match, but <strong>with a simpler menu layout and better labelling and grouping, this would have been much easier</strong>. Why not have separate links for the most popular betting markets, like England matches, televised Premier League games, and events like the Grand National?</p>
<p>On a slow mobile connection, having so many menu options to trawl through could become very frustrating for users. </p>
<p><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3401426972_465de14b99_o.png" alt="Betfair betting page" width="235" height="297" /></p>
<p>Once you get to the page, it is much better. For the England v Ukraine match above, there are plenty of options for different bets, and while it doesn't display as much detail as the standard website, it is good enough: </p>
<p><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3576/3401427048_39936c70e5_o.png" alt="Betfair England v Ukraine" width="235" height="293" /></p>
<p>Most importantly, bets are easy to place once you have logged in, and once you have selected your odds, it is simply a case of entering the amount you want to bet and confirming it. </p>
<p><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3589/3400621127_a2919bbcdf_o.png" alt="Betfair place bet screen" width="235" height="305" /></p>
<p>Betfair has produced a very good site here that has been made easy to use on the iPhone. A Bango survey, which we blogged about yesterday, said that the <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3593-study-iphones-and-mobile-commerce-do-not-mix">iPhone didn't make the top 20 phones for mobile commerce</a>. This is something which could easily change when more companies produce sites like this, which are optimised for mobile commerce. </p>
<p>For UK mobile users, unless you want to buy from a standard web version of a website on your mobile (which is tricky), your options are limited to companies that have produced decent mobile or iPhone sites; eBay, <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/2999-mobile-site-review-amazon-co-uk">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3582-mobile-site-review-interflora">Interflora</a>, which we reviewed last week (if there are others, let me know below).</p>
<p>I think the user experience could be improved with better navigation, or a search box to help users find the event they want to bet on more quickly. Aside from these issues though, <a href="https://iphone.betfair.com">Betfair</a> is a good example of an iPhone optimised site.</p>
2009-03-30T20:38:09+01:00
2
1
html
<p><strong>Betfair has had a mobile version of its website since 2006, and according to its Twitter account, has taken over 6m bets from mobile users. </strong></p>
<p>With the popularity of online betting, it seems especially well suited for people out at sports events who want to place bets. </p>
<p>Betfair launched an iPhone optimised version of its site in December, and has recently updated it. I've been seeing how well it works...</p>
<p><strong>Betfair has had a mobile version of its website since 2006, and according to its Twitter account, has taken over 6m bets from mobile users. </strong></p>
<p>With the popularity of online betting, it seems especially well suited for people out at sports events who want to place bets. </p>
<p>Betfair launched an iPhone optimised version of its site in December, and has recently updated it. I've been seeing how well it works...</p>
false
3597
Mobile site review: Betfair
false
2009-03-31T12:27:15+01:00
mobile-site-review-betfair
2009-04-30T06:22:59+01:00
2009-03-31T12:25:40+01:00
2009-04-30T06:22:59+01:00
2005