Mobile first design for your website: best practices.

Did you know that more than half of all searches are now conducted via mobile? This makes mobile-first design increasingly important. User experience (UX) is central to this approach. But what exactly does mobile-first mean and how does it differ from mobile-responsive design? Discover the best practices.

What is mobile-first design?

Traditionally, Web designers often start by designing from the perspective of a desktop. In other words, a large and wide screen. Now in recent years, search behavior on smartphones has increased dramatically. More than half (!) of all searches are now performed via mobile.It is only logical that we should adapt our websites accordingly. In fact, we should even consider this as a starting point....

Designing with mobile-first approach, is considered the most challenging. The mobile design is designed first. Once you have answered the mobile design questions, designing for other devices such as desktop becomes easier. In other words, the mobile designs contain only the essential features, so you have already created the core of your user experience right away. On desktop, you can then expand on that.

Mobile-first design vs. mobile responsive.

Mobile responsive and mobile first are often used interchangeably. However, there are some important differences.

Responsive web design is often achieved with CSS media queries, which allow designers to specify different styles for different screen sizes. This involves including all elements of the design from the beginning and removing them later for smaller devices. In other words, certain elements are redistributed, resized or hidden to fit on smaller screens. The problem here can be that when you design this way, the core and additional elements merge and become more difficult. Thus, you run the risk of losing the UX in mobile.

Mobile-first design often results in a simpler, more focused design.Because a the limitations of mobile (such as space and loading speed) are kept in mind.

For example: supposeyou are a company that provides a project management solution to medium and large enterprises. You target project managers and teams who are often on the road and need to manage their work from different locations. In this B2B context, a mobile-first design is essential.Because they will often seek information through their mobile devices and not a desktop.

The main difference between responsive web design and mobile-first design is the approach taken. Responsive web design starts by designing for the desktop and then adjusts the design for smaller screens, while mobile-first design starts by designing for the mobile screen and then adjusts the design for larger screens. This choice will depend on exactly what you want to achieve with your Web site.

Best practices mobile-first design.

Keep it touch friendly.

• Large buttons: Use large, clear buttons that are easy to tap on small screens.
• Fewer form fields: Reduce the number of fields in forms to make them easier and faster to fill out.
• Easy interaction: Make sure all elements are easy to tap, even with larger fingers.

Keep it simple.

• Simple navigation: Keep navigation simple and clear. Reduce the number of links in your navigation bar to avoid confusion.
• Limit columns: Use no more than two columns of content to improve readability.
• Few moving elements: Avoid complicated layers and excessive animations that can distract or slow down performance. It's also best to avoid pop-ups on a mobile site.

Make your site accessible to all users.

• Descriptive alt tags: Use alt tags for images to make content accessible to users with visual impairments.
• High-contrast and readable fonts: Use high-contrast colors and easy-to-read fonts to improve visibility.
• Compliance with the European Accessibility Act: Make sure your site complies with the new accessibility legislation.

Work on your Web site speed.

• Compress images: Compress images to reduce loading time without losing quality.
• Speed optimization: Optimize your website performance by using caching, content delivery networks (CDN), and other techniques to improve loading speed.

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