Mobile vs Desktop: My Quora Experience

I use Quora on both my phone and laptop, each with its unique advantages and drawbacks. This article delves into my personal experience, highlighting the different scenarios in which I prefer to use one device over the other.

Mobile Use: Convenience and Limitations

I predominantly use Quora on my mobile device, mainly my phone. The primary reason for this is its portability. The phone's compact size allows me to fit it into my pocket, making it easy to access new questions and answers whenever I have a moment. Moreover, the mobile website version of Quora often proves superior to its desktop counterpart for several reasons.

Firstly, the mobile site is optimized for touchscreen interaction, allowing for easier navigation and swiping through content. Secondly, the mobile site often loads more quickly, which is especially beneficial when I have limited or data-heavy mobile networks. Lastly, there are available extensions that can modify the user agent string, enabling me to access the desktop version of the site, which may offer a superior experience.

Desktop Use: Functionality and Comfort

While I use the mobile website version of Quora on my phone, I primarily rely on my desktop for more in-depth engagement, such as writing detailed answers and managing multiple windows. Approximately 95% of my Quora activity occurs on a Windows computer within a browser window.

Several factors contribute to my preference for the desktop:

Larger screen for better readability of text and images, More navigational controls, enhancing user experience, Ability to have multiple windows open for quick switching between different sections of the site, Convenience of having reference sources available on a second monitor while writing answers, Flexibility of using multiple devices for different tasks.

Interestingly, Quora is still functional on older browsers like Palemoon 26.5, even on Windows 2000, though compatibility with very old web browsers may be limited. This illustrates the platform's relatively loyal adherence to user needs across different devices and software environments.

Quora App: A Mixed Bag

Although I have the Quora app installed on both my iPad and phone, my experience with it has been mixed. I find the app particularly useful for reading questions and answers, but less so for writing responses due to several usability issues.

On the iPad, the app suffers from a persistent problem where ever-selecting something causes a new page to pop up, leaving no reference to the previous page until the new one is closed. Navigating between these pages requires hitting buttons in either the upper left or centre bottom, further complicating the user experience. Additionally, the app lacks features like the ability to have multiple full-screen pages open and displays less information compared to the desktop version. My dislike for on-screen keyboards on mobile devices also plays a significant role in limiting my app usage.

For writing, I prefer using a real computer or carrying a Bluetooth mechanical keyboard, which I find more comfortable and efficient. Consequently, I generally write shorter answers on the iPad and prefer to use it primarily for reading. More substantial responses are often marked as “answer later” for future writing sessions on my desktop.

On tablets and phones, the Quora app works only on recent iOS devices that are still supported by Apple. Older iPads require running the PC version in a web browser, as there are no older versions of the app available for installation. This limitation presents another hurdle for users of older devices.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the decision to use Quora on mobile, desktop, or via the app depends on the specific activity and the user's preference. Both the mobile and desktop versions of Quora offer unique functionalities, depending on the user's needs and environment. From my experience, a balance of both environments ensures a comprehensive and efficient use of the platform, catering to a mix of reading and writing activities.