Website Navigation & Layout Reasearch
The BBC is one of the most famous news institution's in the world. They encounter millions of website hits each day and must be able to inform their audience in a quick and informative fashion. The purpose of the BBC is to provide information on what's happening around the world, in order to successfully do this they have to make sure their content easily accessible on a variety of devices.
This is the desktop version of the BBC's website, it's minimal, clear and easy to use. It's laid out in an orderly way, with the main headlines in the standing out amongst the rest of the website. I believe this is one the main purpose of visiting the BBC website, therefore having it as the main element of the homepage would make sense. Further to the top of the we have the weather forecast and the time, again this is quick and easy way to access information you may be seeking. The interface includes a number of categorised links to different areas of the website - this includes TV schedules, Sport, Weather etc. What's great about the BBC's homepage is that you can get a majority of the information you may need all from one page, as it manages to fit it all in small chunks. 
Furthermore, if you click on a particular article you get a detailed page on the information you want, including different forms of media - such as videos. It also has links on a side bar to different articles which may interest you, like the most popular articles read that day and featured articles. Doing this is informative for the reader and also keeps them using the website. They do also include sharing buttons for Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites - this gets the audience commenting and debating on particular issues through out the world.
The version of the BBC has less features than the desktop, as it is unnecessary and better for a mobile device to keep things simple and easier to run as it has less hardware resources.
The mobile version has categorises of news, sport and weather all on one page, I think this is due to the fact, it would be much more ideal to get all the information on one page. Because generally when browsing online on a mobile you don't want to have spend lengthy times reading, quick and minimal texture tends to be the better and easier choice.
In conclusion, I can see that there are big differences between the desktop & mobile version - both with there own pro's & con's. The obvious one is the layout is different, which is mainly for accessibility purposes. But, you have to take practicality into account, it's not always easy to find a computer and log on, just to check for messages. Having the portability of a mobile to access it, is much more ideal to quickly check up when you're out. However, it's more enjoyable to browse on desktop as it's allot more visual and interactivity involved - this is because you would generally spend more time on a desktop version as opposed to mobile.
Ebay
It is a well known virtual bidding service - where millions of people go on each day. It's a great place to sell and exchange items and is used world wide. A service of this magnitude must give access to all age groups on different devices in an easy to use way.
Statistics:
Mobile internet use nearing 50%
The most rapid growth was among younger people, where 71% of internet-connected 16 to 24-year-olds used mobiles.
Just 8% of internet users aged over 65 made use of the newer technology.
