I was recently working on a project for a client, and we were discussing the design of their website. They wanted to ensure the site looked good on all devices, but they were particularly concerned about how it would look on mobile. That’s when I realized that more and more people are thinking “mobile first” when it comes to design. Here are reasons why mobile first design is taking over the web.
What’s Mobile First Design?
Mobile first design is a web development approach that prioritizes mobile devices when creating a website. This means that the design and development of a website should start with smaller screens in mind and then expand to larger screens.
Foundational Premises
This approach is based on the assumption that more people are now using mobile devices to access the internet than desktop computers.
To fully understand the mobile-first design concept, you should understand these two terms.
1. Responsive Web Design (RWD)
A responsively designed website adjusts to the screen of the device it’s being accessed on. It displays the content in a way that is comfortable for the user.
This greatly reduces the amount of effort required when navigating a website.
2. Progressive Advancement and Graceful Degrade.
Before responsive design, website designers had to create multiple websites or applications to accommodate different screen sizes.
When we build products, we first create a basic version of it for the lower browsers (such as mobile phones). This initial version is very basic and doesn’t include many advanced features.
After that, we move on to the more advanced version of our app, which is created by adding more interactive elements, complex animations, and more.
“Gracefully degrading,” on the other hand, begins the design process from the most advanced product, in this case, a desktop, and works backward to create a more basic but complete mobile experience.
Designers make the product compatible with mobile devices by cutting some functions or contents.
Progressive Advancement has been successful thus far; if UIUX designers begin product design with a desktop version, they will likely want to take advantage of the advanced features available.
Mobile Design Considerations
When designing for a mobile first audience, it is important to consider the hover effect. This is an important element of the user experience that a cursor mouse can support. However, HD images and complex charts may not be able to display correctly on a mobile device unless there is recent bandwidth available.
This can be frustrating for designers who put a lot of effort into creating a great desktop version only to find that it won’t work well on mobile devices unless they make some sacrifices. This often results in a mobile version that is less impressive and feels like an afterthought.
If the mobile version is given less attention, it will end up being an afterthought–an incomplete product that has been watered down.
If we take the mobile end product design as our starting point, we can naturally seize the key points of a product and head for a cleaner, neater product with prioritized features. By working within the bandwidth, screen size restrictions, and so on, we can create a stronger product tailored to each platform.
When designers expand their mobile product designs to tablet or PC platforms, they can take advantage of the unique features of these advanced devices to gradually improve and strengthen their software product.
Progressively advancing through a prospect’s gatekeeper might be the most common reason for using this strategy.
Why spend time explaining the two concepts? The answer is that “mobile first” is a rule of “progressive advancement.”
“Mobile first” design means starting your product design from the mobile end. This has more restrictions but allows you to expand the features to create a tablet or desktop version.
Why is “Mobile First” Design so Important in Product Development?
Besides the apparent increase in mobile users, we also have more concrete evidence that designing for mobile first is the better way to go.
1. In 2016, mobile internet users outnumbered their desktop computer counterparts.
2. People have spent more time on their phones from internet devices.
3. In 2012, smartphone sales surpassed PC sales.
The explosion of mobile devices has forced website designers and developers to pay more attention to the “Mobile End” of a product.
The Main Aim: Usability
The main benefit is that a mobile-first approach focuses on user experience.
Focusing on content that leads to more sales reminds us all that websites aren’t worth much if they aren’t converting.
Designing smaller screens and expanding to larger ones is great for that ever-growing number of mobile visitors, but it’s more than just a responsive design. It’s about creating the best possible experience for your users, no matter their device.
The mobile-first approach is a great way to remind all website designers, developers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to prioritize usability for desktop and smartphone users. Doing so will help increase conversions from potential customers on your site.
The bottom line is that the more user-friendly your site is, the more visitors you’ll attract. And who doesn’t want more traffic?
How to Implement Mobile-First Design in Product Design
As with most web design and app development, a “mobile first” philosophy starts with looking at your product from a user’s point of view.
Designers who focus on mobile first design for the smaller screen of a smartphone and then expand to larger screens like tablets or desktops.
These best practices help in creating a sustainable and profitable business.
Suppose you’re looking to design a product with a mobile-first approach. In that case, you should prioritize some design elements: location search, call-to-action buttons designed for smartphones, special offers and coupons, key selling points, and additional services.
The website designers would design the site’s mobile version to optimize the conversion rate. They would do this by ensuring that the mobile site includes the right information in the right places and that customers can easily access it.
When designing a website for desktop devices, web designers would adjust the design to fit the widescreen, but when designing for mobile, the web designer prioritizes the content.
At the end of the day, both methods aim to convert leads into customers.
Why is Mobile-First Better?
Here are a few reasons to take a “mobile first” (not just “responsive”) design approach for your clients or your projects.
User Experience
Mobile first design means focusing on the most important content and functionality. It’s essential that users get what they need, and there’s no room to clutter things up with unnecessary bells and whistles.
Mobile-first design is about providing the right content and making sure that users can easily find and use the content they need. Mobile devices have smaller screens, so ensuring that the most important information is easy to find and use is important.
In addition, mobile-first design demands more usability research to provide users with the best possible experience.
Design Considerations
When optimizing web pages for speed, it’s important to remember that fewer elements on the page and an optimized page structure will contribute to a faster load time.
A website that’s optimized for mobile devices is becoming more and more important because more and more people are using their phones to access the internet. That’s why your site must be mobile-friendly so that it’s indexed and found by search engines.
When designing for mobile first, you can be confident that the experience will translate well to desktop. By starting with the core functionality and then adding additional features as you scale up, you can avoid any potential issues that might arise from trying to adjust a desktop design for mobile.
Mobile internet users typically have a lower conversion rate than desktop users, and this is because mobile users are looking for something quick while they are on the move.
But everyone has experienced the frustration of navigating a website that isn’t optimized for mobile.
Mobile-first design is the best way to keep your bounce rates healthy. By making your site mobile-friendly, you’ll keep more users on your site and provide a better overall experience.
Perficient Digital is a digital agency based in the US.
As mobile users, we want to navigate our sites easily, whether at home, on the go, or just trying to stay sane in 2021.
Today, website designers need to ensure that their client’s websites are mobile-friendly.
When we focus on mobile first, we prioritize building and maintaining connections. This is especially crucial when we need to stay connected the most.
Conclusion
Overall, the mobile first design is a great way to ensure your website or app looks good on all devices. It’s also an excellent way to future-proof your designs, as more and more people are using smartphones and tablets instead of desktop devices. So if you’re not already thinking “mobile first,” now is the time to start!
