With more and more people around the world using smartphones, it's important for businesses to put mobile-first website design at the top of their list. Statista says that by 2021, there will be 3.8 billion smartphone users around the world. This means that businesses must make sure to serve mobile users. In this blog post, we'll talk about the best ways to design a website with mobile in mind and show you some examples of good mobile-first design.
What is "mobile-first design" for a website?
Mobile-first website design is a strategy that puts the design and development of a website for mobile devices first, then for desktop devices. In mobile-first design, designers and developers focus on making the best user experience for small screens, slower internet speeds, and touch input. The mobile-first approach makes sure that the website is made with the smallest screen in mind. This makes the website work better on all devices.Best Ways to Design a Website with Mobile in Mind
- Content priority: Mobile-first design means putting the most important content that users are most likely to look at first on their phones or tablets. Businesses can make sure their websites load faster on mobile devices by making the content easier to understand and only showing the most important information.
- Simplifying navigation: It can be hard to use a website on a small screen, so making navigation easier can make the user's experience better. By keeping the number of navigation items to a minimum and using a simple menu icon, businesses can make it easier for people to find their way around their website.
- Touch input is how mobile devices work, so it's important to make sure the website works well with touch input. This means making buttons and other interactive elements big enough to click with a finger and far enough apart so that they don't get clicked by accident.
- Using responsive design: Responsive design makes sure that the website looks good on all devices, including mobile devices. This means using a flexible layout and images that change size depending on the size of the screen.
- Images that are too big or not optimized can slow down the time it takes for a website to load, especially on mobile devices. By using images that load quickly, businesses can make sure their websites load quickly and don't make users angry.
- Typography optimization: For mobile-first design, it's important to choose the right font size and style. If the font is too small or hard to read, mobile devices might not be able to use the site.
- White space is important for mobile-first design because it makes the content easier to read and move around. By making good use of white space, businesses can improve the user experience and make websites look better.
- Starting with the smallest screen: If you start by designing for the smallest screen, the website will work well on all devices. By focusing on the smallest screen size, businesses can make sure that their websites are optimized for mobile devices and will also work well on larger screens.
- Taking into account the user: In the end, the user is the most important part of mobile-first design. By focusing on what the user needs and wants from the website, businesses can make sure that the website is built to meet their needs.
Studies of websites that are made for mobile devices first
- Airbnb: The mobile site for Airbnb is a great example of how mobile-first design works. For a smooth user experience, the website puts content first, makes navigation easy, and uses images that load quickly. The website also has a responsive design that makes sure it looks good on any device.
- Starbucks: The mobile site for Starbucks is another good example of how mobile-first design works. For a better user experience, the website has big buttons that can be touched, images that load quickly, and easier navigation.
- Amazon: The mobile site for Amazon is built with the user in mind. The website puts content first, makes it easy to find your way around, and has a responsive design that looks great on all devices. For a smooth user experience, Amazon also uses images that load quickly and optimized fonts.
- Google's mobile site is a great example of how to keep things simple and get the most out of them. For a great user experience, the website puts the most important information first, has a simple menu icon, and has images that load quickly.
- Dropbox: The mobile website for Dropbox has a simple design that puts functionality first. The website has images that load quickly, typography that is easy to read, and a simple menu icon.
- Uber is a transportation company whose mobile-first website has changed the way the industry works. The website is easy to use on mobile devices because it has a simple layout and loads quickly. This has made it easy and quick for people to call rides from their phones, which has led to the company's huge success.
Tools and Resources for Making Websites Mobile-First
- Google Mobile-Friendly Test: This tool lets you see how mobile-friendly your website is and gives you suggestions for how to make it better.
- Bootstrap: Bootstrap is a popular framework for making websites that work well on mobile devices first. It comes with a responsive grid system and several different parts that can be used to build responsive websites.
- Adobe XD: Adobe XD is a design tool that lets you make mobile-first websites and prototypes. It has tools for designing responsive layouts and making them work better with touch input.
- Templates for mobile-first design Online, you can find a lot of mobile-first design templates that you can change to fit the needs of your business.
- Mobile-First Design Blogs and Tutorials: There are many resources online offering tips and tutorials on mobile-first design, including Smashing Magazine and A List Apart.
Conclusion
Mobile-first website design is essential for businesses that want to cater to the growing number of smartphone users around the world. By prioritizing mobile design, businesses can create a seamless user experience that will keep users engaged and coming back to the website. Some best practices for mobile-first design include prioritizing content, simplifying navigation, optimizing touch input, and using fast-loading images. There are many successful case studies of mobile first design, including Amazon, Google, and Dropbox. Finally, there are many tools and resources available to businesses looking to design mobile-first websites, including testing tools, frameworks, design tools, and online resources.