To date, more than 21 million users have the ability to check their email on Apple’s iPhone, but how do these emails render? Here are some iPhone specific guidelines to consider the next time you’re designing an email with a mobile slant.
With a comparatively larger screen than most other mobile devices, the viewable area is still only 480 x 320 pixels in size. Compare this to a normal monitor, which measures at least 1280 x 1024, and suddenly your design has a lot less room to present itself. Since most emails are designed at a width of 700 pixels, the iPhone will automatically shrink the email down by 200% to display the content. This means that your hard-earned email creative has now been reduced to tiny colored dots. Of course, through a choreographed two-finger gesture all of your design can be seen up close, but do you really want your users to take that extra step?
When designing for the iPhone consider the following:
- Set the width of the email to anywhere between 320 and 510 pixels wide. This will ensure your content is clear enough to still be viewed without having to zoom in. If the campaign is geared specifically for iPhone users (e.g. where a new app is available for download), keep the width closer to 320 pixels.
- The above-the-fold area is the part of the email the user will see before having to scroll. On the iPhone, this space is measured at 240 pixels in height. As always, keep the messaging simple and direct with a clear call-to-action.
- Because the iPhone is a wireless device, the download time may vary. More often than not, the user will be inclined to scroll impatiently to the bottom of a current email only to realize it has yet to fully download. To ensure your email will be received in it’s entirety, without delay, consider keeping the graphics to a minimum and use HTML text when possible.