What would we do without our smartphones? Essentially, these pocket-sized devices have become impossible to live without. If they were to be taken away, we’d feel lost and not know what to do with ourselves.
Their rise to importance has been rapid. We’re spending more time on our phones and using them for an increased number of daily activities. Phone calls, tracking our health, getting social with friends, consuming news, learning new skills, and so much more is done on mobile.
Now, it’s time for designers to shift their mindset and effectively serve the mobile generation.
Mobile Responsive Design
Currently, most designers and businesses are getting to grips with the importance of mobile-responsive design. This process starts with creating a desktop version of your website or product and then scales it down to fit and function perfectly on smaller screen sizes.
This has become a greatly important aspect of mobile web design. It impacts user experience and SEO, and with over 50% of website traffic now on mobile, it’s crucial to have a mobile-friendly website.
Mobile-First Design Approach
As we move into the mobile generation, designers need to switch their thinking. Rather than working from large to small screen sizes, it’s time to begin with mobile.
Moving forward, the mobile experience will be considered more important than the desktop. Mobile user numbers will continue to grow and search engine algorithms will start ranking by mobile website quality, so businesses need to act.
What Is Good Mobile Design?
The basic principles and aims of mobile design don’t differ from the traditional. However, they specifically target the obstacles faced by websites and products when interacting with the mobile generation.
Be Attention-Grabbing
As mobile users, we often find ourselves in an endless scroll until something stands out, grabs our attention, and stops us in our tracks. People are constantly consuming, and our brains can’t process huge amounts of information quickly. So, to stop the scroll, you need eye-catching visuals and short, punchy content.
Furthermore, you need to understand your audience. How do they like to consume information? Images, video, text, or audio? When you know the answer to this, you can produce content to match their needs.
Attention Retention
Some think step one is the hard part, but it’s only the beginning. You need to convince users your content is worth their time in the space of a single mobile screen. If you don’t, the scroll is back on.
Be clear, direct, compelling, and intriguing. Your purpose here is to make users want to find out more and to learn about the topic you’re discussing.
Encourage Action
The good old calls to action. We told you mobile design best practices weren’t too different, didn’t we? Your mission is to inspire users to stay engaged with your content and brand by taking some form of action. This could be a like, follow, subscribe, download, or any other applicable action.
Remember your sales cycle – you’re not trying to bombard a user with all your information at once – it’s a process. Grab their attention, get them engaged, make them want to come back for me, then drip-feed them helpful and relevant information to drive conversions.
In Summary
Designing for the mobile generation has the same goal as traditional design. However, you’ve got to contend with modern-day problems of short attention spans, endless amounts of content, and standing out from the crowd.
Get in touch today for expert assistance with designing for mobile websites and products.