Why mobile-first design?
Reach your target audience with Mobile First
Smartphone use has grown so much in recent years that it has become the most popular way to use the internet worldwide.
If your target group also makes extensive use of mobile devices, a well-thought-out mobile website or application is now more important than ever to reach your target audience.
Google has also noticed this growth and has rolled out Mobile First indexing. Regardless of whether someone is searching on mobile or desktop, Mobile First designed and developed websites have a higher ranking in the search results.
What is mobile-first essentially?
Mobile First is a strategy in which mobile users the starting point for the design of a website or application. This means that the user experience is defined on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, and then scaled up to larger screens, such as desktops and laptops.
An implementation method of Mobile First is responsive design. Responsive design ensures that content is restructured and rearranged to better suit the device on which this content is displayed. An example of responsive design being applied is at the website of Working at CED.
New possibilities with mobile devices
The wide range of possibilities for mobile design is also an important reason to design for mobile devices. Mobile design offers many new possibilities through the use of applications. On desktop, a website is often the standard for interaction with companies, but in the mobile landscape the app is also a frequently used platform. This offers opportunities to show content in other attractive and personalized ways.
In addition, there are the built-in functionalities that do not exist on a desktop. You can think of GPS, step counters, motion control, touch ID, infrared based proximity sensor (that senses distance and ambient light) and many more mobile device specific functionalities. Also, implementing recent developments concerning Voice Control goes well with mobile applications. For example, Conversational User Interfaces are ideal for mobile use in combination with Voice Control.
The user's context
The user experience on smartphones is also determined by how these devices are used. Mobile devices are often used on the road or at short 'moments in between'. This is why a mobile device is used mainly for simplified tasks and not for complicated tasks. They are, as it were, bursts of activity that are very different than when you are sitting at a desk and you are browsing for hours on end on your desktop. That is why mobile forces you to focus on specific tasks (or top tasks) of users.
Screen real estate: desktop vs mobile
There is also much more space on a desktop screen and therefore you have the space to add extra components. Smartphones - with their smaller screens - do not give you that luxury. As a result, it is possible that important parts are not shown on mobile. For example, sidebars with advertisements or contact information that are no longer shown to a user who uses a mobile device.
When you design Mobile First this will not happen, because you start with mobile design and as it were scale up to desktop and laptop.
That's why you should use mobile-first design!
Are you convinced, and do you want to implement Mobile First when designing your website or application? Our UX specialists would be glad to look alongside you at your specific situation and help you with the designing process.
Technology and creativity as one
When designing an app, website or application you have to take into account multiple aspects. During the designing process, user experience is often neglected or even forgotten. Are you ready to focus on your user's experience?
