A Mobile Responsive Site is A Must: See Why We Start There When Designing
- Amelia Thompson
- Nov 9, 2017
- 2 min read
We used to worry about websites being compatible with all the different browsers available, such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, or Firefox, but now we need to also worry about websites resizing to different devices sizes, including the variety of Android smartphones, iPhones, tablets of all sorts of brands, and more! This is why responsiveness is key in website design.
So, what is a responsive website? A responsive website is one that will respond to different screen sizes by adjusting and shifting elements and layouts to keep information from being cropped out or illegible. They should be designed to organically lay out all elements to be viewed in different screen sizes and allow good use experience (UX) on different devices.
Let’s not forget about mobile marketing. It is HUGE for your business! Mobile Internet usage has been steadily increasing for the past few years. According to StatCounter Global Stats, 51.3 percent of Internet usage worldwide in October of 2016 was on smartphone and tablet devices, while desktop usage came in right under at 48.7 percent.
As if that wasn’t enough, we also have a big influencer: Google! In 2015, the most popular search engine in the world altered its algorithm to favor websites that are mobile-friendly for its mobile search.
Mobile and desktop views are two completely different formats but they walk hand-in-hand.
Mobile view needs to be very intuitive, condensed, and simple. To design a good mobile-friendly website, we designers need to keep in mind that the user will only have access to interact with the elements of the site by using their thumb or index finger.
This is why buttons are so essential in mobile view designs. They allow the user to easily get where they need to go by simply tapping on a button with one finger, instead of digging through drop-downs or multiple tiers of information.
Some functionalities to keep in mind for mobile design are scrolling, pinching, swiping, and tapping. These are all actions that are only available to users in mobile, not desktop, and they are becoming more intuitive for mobile users.
For these reasons and more, we start all website designs with mobile UX and user interface (UI) in mind. Take a look at your site. Are you sure it’s mobile-friendly? Let us know if you want a FREE website audit, or if you’re considering redesigning your website. We’ll be more than happy to provide you with the solutions your business’ website needs. Call us at 713-863-1141.
