As of the first quarter of 2024, almost 96% of all internet searches are performed on mobile devices. This means that if your website isn’t optimized for handheld devices, you can kiss any performance goodbye. However, there is a method to the madness, and it’s called mobile-first design.
In this article we’ll dive deep into the mobile-first strategy to understand what it is and if it’s always a good idea to implement it on your website.
What is Mobile-First Design and Why is it Important?
Previously, websites were made separately for each device. This means creating a version for desktop and another for mobile. This is called an adaptive design. However, nowadays the process looks slightly different. Responsive web design is more commonly employed, starting with the website’s desktop version and adapting it for mobile.
Mobile-first design requires that you design your website for small screens first, then adapt it for desktop afterward.
As for why it’s important, we can look no further than the rapid surge in mobile usage. Look at these recent mobile usage statistics:
- As of October 2020, about 4.66 billion people were active mobile internet users, with 3.6 billion using social media on their devices.
- In the United States, around 90% of consumers’ mobile time is spent on apps and mobile web browsing, leading to a 504% increase in daily media consumption since 2011.
- Additionally, over 76% of Americans use their phones to check emails and send messages while watching TV.
These statistics highlight just how integral mobile devices have become for communication, browsing, and online engagement in daily life.
Benefits of Mobile-First Design
Building your website with a mobile-first design will deliver better results. This is primarily because the majority of your audience probably uses their mobile devices to access the web, so it makes sense to design your website to work flawlessly and look visually appealing.
1. Improved User Experience
When working with the mobile-first design approach, you delegate your entire focus and attention to your audience’s needs. You’re showing the most essential elements and content without cramming unnecessary widgets or vanity features. Your focus lies purely on creating the best user experience possible.
However, you have to keep in mind that a mobile-first approach requires more usability research to present your visitors with the right content and the right amount of it too. If users need more information, there should be a way for them to access it when they need it. It’s a more difficult task than creating a website for desktop, of course.
2. More Traffic and Better Performance
The fewer elements a website has, the faster it will load. Fast website load times are incredibly important for your website’s SEO (search engine optimization). Since almost every person uses Google’s search engine using a smartphone, Google indexes pages using a mobile-first design. This only emphasizes the importance of this approach, as it’s not just users demanding it, but Google too. So focus on your website’s responsiveness too.
3. Scalability Across Devices
When you design a website for mobile devices, your risk of creating an experience that can’t be adjusted to meet desktop users’ needs is minimal to none. You can add more elements as you scale up to desktop, but the core functionality will remain the same.
4. Decreased Bounce Rates
Mobile users are infamous for being incredibly demanding. If you don’t have what they need or if your website feels anything less than perfect, they’re going to look elsewhere. Bounce rates on mobile are 53%, compared to desktop’s 49%. This goes to show that smartphone users are a lot more picky about the experience they receive. Remember that they’re accustomed to near perfection due to the prevalence of smartphone apps, meaning that if the experience you’re providing isn’t up to their standard, they’re going to leave your website.
Ensuring your website is perfectly designed for smartphones can guarantee a much lower bounce rate, leading to higher conversion and engagement from your visitors.
5. Adaptability
The mobile devices market is one of the fastest evolving industries we have now, with new devices released every year. One of the most innovative aspects of smartphones happens to be the screen, with foldables being a massive highlight. Just recently, Huawei released a triple foldable device that turns a 6-inch device into a 10-inch horizontal screen.
Phones are upgraded every 2 years for the majority of all consumers, so your website’s adaptability to the device being used could make or break your business.
Mobile-First Vs. Responsive Web Design
The main distinction between responsive web design (RWD) and mobile-first design depends on the developer’s strategy for building your website.
A mobile-first approach looks at all aspects of design, from planning to how the design pairs with the website’s desktop and other versions, allowing devs to create changes to the overall design that ensure a consistent user experience across all devices.
A responsive web design, on the other hand, is a reactive method of web design, as it’s usually altered in a flexible process when it’s required to fit other dimensions.
Both of these approaches will meet your client’s needs just fine and will create a website that’s accessible across all devices. But if you’re looking for the ideal option, then you should look into mobile-first design.
Mobile-First Best Practices
Now that we have a solid understanding of what mobile-first design is and why it’s worth your time, let’s look at some useful tips on how to properly implement it.
Prioritize Your Content
While it’s tempting to start designing a website through layouts, fonts, and a design guide, a mobile-first approach requires that your content is ready before the design phase. For designers, it may seem counterintuitive to start working with content before the actual design, as desktop design functions the other way around. A layout and wireframe are created with lorem ipsum, then the website content is created later. However, if you’re looking to create mobile-first solutions, your focus should be first and foremost on your content. When thinking about visual hierarchy, you should put the most important content at the top.
Focus on Keeping Things Functional
Your product design should prioritize functionality over complexity. Create a proper user-friendly website that is uncluttered, clear, and one that respects white space. You shouldn’t try to wow your visitors. A perfect mobile-first strategy showcases beauty in its simplicity. You’re creating joy for your visitors just by providing an exceptional mobile website that is perfectly optimized for their devices.
Optimize Your Performance
While your website’s look is important, mobile-first emphasizes heavily on having a responsive design. Here’s how you can do that:
- Optimize your images by using a compressed image format like webp.
- Optimize fonts and avoid custom ones.
- Use browser caching.
- Test and monitor your website’s performance.
How imaga Can Help You Create Mobile-First Products
No matter the industry or purpose—be it e-commerce, information, or entertainment—putting mobile users first is essential, as they form the core of your audience. A mobile-first approach is more than a trend; it’s the best way to deliver designs that are streamlined, functional, and crafted for seamless interactions on the go.
At imaga, we specialize in creating mobile experiences that genuinely connect with users. From ideation to final launch, we take an in-depth approach to building mobile apps and websites that your audience will keep coming back to. If you're ready to enhance your digital presence or launch something entirely new, let’s start the conversation and bring your vision to life.