Did you know that over 50% of website traffic comes from mobile devices? If you’re a B2C company, this number will likely be higher, with the majority of website users preferring to consume your content on mobile. So, you’ve probably heard of mobile responsive design. This is when a website designer or developer builds a desktop version of your website, then includes code to scale it down for smaller screens. Mobile first web development is very different.What Is Mobile First Web Design?As mentioned, mobile responsiveness doesn’t make mobile design the priority. That’s where mobile-first development comes in. Here, designers and developers start by creating wireframes and basic designs for the smallest screen size, then working up to larger screens. There are numerous reasons why prioritizing mobile screens first is logical. Firstly, as discussed, the majority of people are using mobile devices for browsing. To provide the best user experience, you have to start with the device used most.Secondly, the space limitation of mobile screen sizes can present issues when scaling down large screen designs. A mobile-first development process makes designers think about every element and encourages them to remove unnecessary clutter, enabling users to focus on key information.Mobile First Development Best PracticesNowadays, user experience is a priority for web developers, particularly because it’s a key SEO ranking factor. Hence, website development best practices focus on creating an easy-to-use, seamlessly designed website.
Intuitive Navigation Features
It can be challenging to take a website with a large number of pages and make it easy to navigate on mobile. Hamburger menus are a great way to help users find the content they’re looking for and guide them through the user journey.
Page Loading Speeds
Users are impatient, and slow websites are punished in search rankings. It is crucial for mobile-first web development, so consider. A tool you can use to assess your performance is Google PageSpeed Insights. It will give you actionable insights on how to improve.
Make Content The Priority
Content has always been king. Although having an aesthetically pleasing website is important, you shouldn’t prioritize this over impactful content, especially on mobile. With limited space, it’s imperative to ensure content is as impactful as possible.
Avoid Pop-Ups
On a small screen, pops ups can be incredibly annoying and hard to get rid of. They take up the majority or entirety of the screen. Focus on what users need and make it easy for them to access.
In Summary
Mobile first development popularity is increasing. As the number of people using mobile instead of larger screen sizes climbs, so will the need for mobile-first development.
If your data suggests mobile is the dominant platform for your customers, get in touch today, and we’ll discuss how you can implement mobile-first web development.