Going Mobile First

The internet has completely changed how customers buy products from companies. With the amount of content available globally, people aren’t settling for what’s available. With just a few minutes more of researching, someone can find another website and another company to do business with.

With the use of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets increasing rapidly, overtaking the desktop as the primary method of accessing the web. And also, 58% of users accessing the Internet through their smartphones or tablets the previous year shows the importance of having a mobile- friendly website becomes paramount.

Hence the Mobile-first approach is a tenet of progressive enhancement.

So What is the mobile first approach?
Mobile first design is a design strategy that says when you create a website or app, you should start sketching and prototyping the smallest screen first and work your way up to larger screens. Essentially, it’s about delivering the right user experience to the right device.

The reason that this makes sense is because with such limited real estate on small screens, UX designers must prioritize the most important aspects of their website and apps, namely content.

Why go mobile first?
Mobile conversions rates are up 64% when compared with the average desktop conversion rates. So designing mobile first can lead to more profit for your business. And since Google ranks for mobile-friendliness, it makes sense to bear this in mind when starting a new project.

This way of designing is also beneficial when it comes to download times and users accessing your content as quickly as possible. With fewer elements, the page will load faster. When you consider a 1 second delay causing a 7% loss in conversions – it pays to design mobile first.

Mobile first is content first
Content takes center stage in mobile first design. With mobile first design, you have to give your users the content that they absolutely need. Designing this way, with such stringent limitations, forces UX designers to strip any extraneous elements away and focus on the essential.

When we talk of extraneous elements we don’t mean that they’re not necessary – they’re just not necessary for your mobile users. You can still use any UI elements you remove from your mobile first design in a desktop version, for example

Conclusion
Neglecting mobile design in this day and age is a UX design sin. Delivering a pleasurable user experience should be at the heart of what we do. Using this mobile first approach will not only make your life easier as a designer but it’ll make the life of the user easier too