We see people using mobile phones and tablets in all corners of our society - trains, coffee shops, libraries and while doing the shopping. We know people are using these same devices while sitting in front of the television. - perhaps as a distraction during he ads or socialising with friends about what they’re watching. These same devices are used in bedrooms - catching up with important reading or even doing some online shopping.

Some of these locations have a reasonable expectation of very low noise.

Image your surprise while sitting in the quiet carriage on your hour long commute doing a little surfing of the web and you land on a page that immediately starts blaring out music. Unless you leave your device on mute you will definitely annoy your neighbours. They tell me there are informal but vigilant noise police on the quiet carriages. Is this sort of (lack of) noise expectation any different with your partner trying to sleep or while others are watching the television or strangers having a quiet chat over coffee.

Please, please, PLEASE, don’t fall for the temptation of playing music as part of the presentation. It doesn’t matter how pleasant the music. It will be an unwelcome surprise for many visitors. Don’t think a volume control on the page is sufficient. There is no standard interface. They are not easy to find, particularly when under pressure. You want your website and business to be memorable. Make it for something positive.

“Language Of Music Really Is Universal” may be a true statement. I’ll leave others to make that determination. But I do know there is a huge divergence in tastes that is impacted by age, race, education and experience. What is pleasant to you may not be to me. This is another trigger point that can impact a visitor’s perception of your website.

Related articles:

• How does your website look on a mobile phone? Have you checked? (blog.midboh.com.au)
• Going mobile - one step at a time (part 1: struggles with external files) (blog.midboh.com.au)
• Going mobile - one step at a time (part 2: the trouble with forms) (blog.midboh.com.au)