Understanding the Value of Mobile First Design Strategy in 2022

The ever-evolving and innovative industry of web design has come a long way, especially post-covid times. Today people are glued to screens like never before - to learn, network, build, or simply to stay connected. As the devices and screen sizes evolved, so were the designers’ philosophy and approach to sketching a web page for better usability.

It started with designing a user interface for a desktop while mobiles were still finding their feet. Until tablets were the choice of many. But today, if we go by the stats, more people are accessing the internet through their mobile phones than anywhere else. It doesn’t take much time for brands to conclude that in order to give a better user experience to their target group, it is pivotal to build an exceptional mobile interface.

But, does that mean brands should build their websites or apps – Mobile-Friendly? Or Mobile-First? Similar sounding terms, but one of them holds the secret to the most effective design strategy today, which is being followed by many designers worldwide. No prize for guessing; it’s the Mobile-First design approach.

So, What’s the Difference between Mobile-Friendly & Mobile-First Web Design

A mobile-friendly web design is a design that is made primarily for the desktop or bigger-sized screen and then sized down to make it tablet and mobile-friendly. Although the mobile-friendly approach makes the websites accessible on any internet-enabled smartphone, the experience it gives to the user was originally made for someone using a desktop. A mobile-first design, on the other hand, is a design that is principally focused on the mobile screen only. From there, it is built for upper-sized screens.

To understand the Mobile-First design in detail, let’s start with web page designers’ philosophy.

• 1. Responsive Web Design (RWD) - As the name suggests, through this design approach a webpage is made responsive and works well on variety of devices and window with diverse screen sizes. The layout auto-adjust according to the screen size to give a convenient user experience.
• 2. Graceful Degradation – This principal approach was invented before RWD and focused on providing customized design to end users. It started with building a perfect design for desktops/PCs and then goes to produce a reduced version for mobiles/small screens by cutting few elements and features.
• 3. Progressive Enhancement – Almost opposite of Graceful Degradation approach, it is a step wise progressive designing strategy wherein the designers first build a web page for base model browser, giving basic features to it. However, users with better-featured devices or fast network gets enhanced version of the same page. It is a sophisticated yet an assuring approach.

What is Mobile First Design?

Mobile-first design is a design approach having a user experience at the centre of its creation, so it initiates the design process for mobile devices first, giving priority to smallest screen.

Out of three main principles of web design, namely Responsive Web Design (RWD), Progressive Advancement, and Graceful Degradation, the mobile-first design strategy is a part of progressive advancement. This design-making process, as stated earlier, progresses from mobile screen outlay to bigger screens later. Through this approach, a designer sketches the best layout for users by prioritizing all essential aspects that can fit into a small mobile screen.

Why Mobile-First Design Strategy is the Future?

There is no denying that mobile users are outgrowing in numbers. It is touted that more than 70% of people worldwide will have access to the internet on their phones by 2025. It goes without saying that brands can build their trust and consumer base by providing a better user experience on mobile devices.

In addition, below are 5 main reasons that backs Mobile-First design strategy in 2022

• 1. Mobile Purchasing Trend - There has been a whopping increase in the number of smartphone users, from 2.5 billion to 3.8 billion, only in the last 6 years. In addition, sales of mobile devices have outgrown the sales of desktop/PC, and users are spending more time on the internet from their smartphones.
• 2. Google’s Algorithm - It has been observed that Google’s algorithm favours mobile-friendly sites over bigger screen alternatives. Also, creating awareness about the product becomes easier for the brands.
• 3. Advertising - Gone are the days when advertisers’ favourite field was TV commercials. With the evolution of social media, new-age and enticingly-entertaining advertisements are finding more eyes on smartphones.
• 4. Better Performance - With a Mobile-first approach, a designer focuses greatly on the user’s needs and tries to include the most crucial elements. With fewer elements and optimised content, a web page will load faster. This single reason is enough for users to stay more on the page and have a wonderful usability experience.
• 3. Portability Across Different Devices - Another crucial benefit of the mobile-first approach is that it will be easier to enhance the design of the webpage for bigger screens. A designer can scale up and add more features or make the space for promotions when essentialities and core content are already taken care of.

It is quite clear that there is an incremental need for mobile-friendly websites that not only get the eyeballs and traffic, but also give a great opportunity for brands to provide an enhanced user experience. No wonder the designers across the globe are relying heavily on a mobile-first design strategy.