It's not the phone, iphone, or cell web, it's the mobile web. When I speak of mobile, I'm not speaking of the device, but the user them-self. The user and context is what makes it the mobile web. We should look at the iPhone for what it has done: it's revolutionized the way we think about the mobile web; its set a standard for future mobile devices to follow through with.
A Hand is a Hand
We as humans fear what is new. The iPhone is a new medium and platform, but don't look at it that way because really we are just transitioning from one hand to another.
CSS is CSS; HTML is HTML; and Mobile Safari is pretty much Safari. Lose the fear of building for the iPhone because everything you are use to hasn't changed.
Context is King
We have all grown to understand that Content is King on the web, but while a user is mobile context is king. It???s everywhere...it's your surroundings and even time of day.
During your research you will find that the context will vary in endless amounts of ways. When a user visits your mobile website they are on the go and need the information fast. It takes a lot of strategy research to understand which context the user will be visiting from.
Don't Think iPhone
One of my biggest problems in mobile design is when designers go with a default iPhone look no matter which device you are on. Sure, it works and the user will browse just fine, but get creative and extend the experience from the desktop to the mobile. Experience is everything.
Reuse Styles from your Desktops Design
I like to say to reuse and translate, don't recreate. It's extremely important to keep the experience from the desktop to a mobile device consistent. You need to make the user feel your company's experience no matter where they???re connecting from.
Find elements that you can translate or reuse on your mobile version; if nothing works than find items you can scale down or adapt appropriately.
Until next time, follow me on twitter, @michaeldick