Mobile First Design: Definition, Benefits, & How to Create It

The use of mobile devices has become an important part of daily life. Most people use mobile phones to access information, communicate, and do online activities. In fact, in 2018, there were more than 100 million active smartphone users in Indonesia.

Therefore, web designers need to prioritize user experience on mobile devices. One way to do this is by using a mobile-first design approach. 

Check out the following article to learn about mobile-friendly design that helps your website to be more responsive when accessed by users.

What Is Mobile First Design?

Mobile-first design is a web design approach that prioritizes developing user interfaces and user experiences for mobile devices before customizing them for desktop versions. 

This method requires designers to build websites with the limitations of smaller screens in mind as well as keeping important elements accessible and functional on mobile devices.

Why Is the Mobile First Design Method Necessary?

Mobile-first design is a method used to make sites more mobile-friendly. But, do you know why is this necessary? Here are some reasons behind it:

1. Increasing Mobile Device Users

The rapid growth of mobile device users is driving the need for a responsive design for websites, especially when thousands of users access the internet through mobile phones. So, by building a design with a mobile perspective, you can ensure that the website meets the requirements of most visitors.

2. Maintain User Experience on Mobile

The mobile-first design prioritizes a smooth user experience on mobile devices. When you design for small screens first, you can ensure that navigation, content, and other interactive elements are easy to use and not confusing the users.

3. Have a Positive Impact on SEO

Sites that are optimized for mobile devices usually get better positions in search engines. In addition, Google itself has used mobile-first indexation, which means that site performance on mobile has an impact on overall ranking in search results.

4. Speed Up Website Load Time

Mobile-first design can help you to optimize website elements, such as images and scripts to be lighter so that the site can load faster. Not only that, good loading speed not only makes users comfortable accessing your website but also has a positive impact on SEO.

Tips to Implement Mobile First Design

At this point, you already know why mobile-first design is important for your site. To maximize your website, check out some tips for implementing it below:

1. Organize the Viewport Well

The first step in implementing a mobile-first design is to determine the viewport size. In this case, the website display can adjust to various screen sizes.

Then, to set the viewport size on a web page, you must add a meta tag with a name attribute filled with the viewport value and a content attribute.

2. Using Media Query

Furthermore, using media queries allows websites to apply different styles based on the screen size of the device. By utilizing media queries in CSS, you can create flexible and responsive layouts. 

For example, you can adjust the font size, margins, and padding for devices with different screen sizes so that the appearance of your website stays consistent across devices.

3. Using Grid Layout

Grid layouts are also very helpful in organizing content layouts responsively. In this case, using a grid system can help you organize your website elements so that they remain proportional on various screen sizes. 

Furthermore, grid layouts allow for flexible and adaptive arrangement of elements, helping to avoid cluttered displays on small screens.

4. Using Off Canvas Menu

Off-canvas menus are a solution for navigation on mobile devices. The menu is hidden off-screen and will be displayed when it is clicked. 

Besides, it helps save space on small screens and keeps navigation simple without sacrificing the function. Therefore, make sure this menu is easily accessible to improve user experience.

5. Organize On-Page Content Simply

In mobile-friendly design, it is important to simplify content to avoid overcrowding by focusing on important elements for mobile users. In other words, avoid creating pages with too much text or visual elements as it slows down loading time. 

Most importantly, you also need to use the space on the page wisely so that the main content is easily accessible without excessive scrolling.

6. Ensure Accessibility

The mobile-friendly design also considers accessibility, such as using contrasting colors, and readable fonts. Other than that, buttons and links should be large or clear so that users can access them with their fingers. This can be helpful for all users, including those who may have physical limitations.

7. Testing on Various Devices

Last but not least, don't forget to test on various devices and screen sizes to make sure your website performs well on all platforms. For that, you can use tools, such as Google's Mobile-Friendly Test, to find out which is already responsive and fulfills the standards of a good mobile user experience.

When you prioritize mobile-friendly design on your site, it will automatically improve the user experience. Therefore, a web designer needs to recognize the basic principles of mobile-first design and apply them when building a website.

Therefore, the web design must be attractive, functional, and reflect the brand image to be remembered by the audience. Well, if you need a website design for your business, you can work with VISUWISU. VISUWISU provides Website Design services, from creating designs to copywriting in it. 

Contact VISUWISU now to discuss your design!