Mobile-first approach in Web Designing

Posted By: Riya Saini Published: 14, Jan 2024

Mobile-first approach in Web Designing

What is the mobile-first approach?

A “mobile-first” strategy usually involves creating a desktop site starting with the mobile version, then modifying it for larger screens (contrary to the traditional approach of starting with a desktop site and then adapting it to smaller screens). A mobile-first approach, in general, is designing your website with your mobile users in mind, with the primary purpose of improving these users' experience.

Advantages of mobile-first approach:

• Appeal to a Large Number of Users

  The most important advantage of the mobile-first design is that it appeals to the majority of consumers, as the days of desktop superiority are over. Over half of all internet users now use mobile devices.




• Content that is prioritized

  Website designers are forced to prioritize information when using a mobile-first design. Because you don't have a lot of room, you'll have to pick and choose only the most crucial information to provide. This aids in the removal of fluff that slows down your website and causes viewers to become distracted. Your website designs will be cleaner, more efficient, and more concise as a result. In practice, designing for mobile makes you a better web designer.




• There are fewer bugs

  Websites for mobile devices are straightforward. They employ less code and a simpler version of it. Desktop sites are difficult to navigate. For extra style possibilities, they use a complex code. All that heavy code needs to be restructured to run on mobile when you start with a complicated desktop site and compress it down to a mobile site (desktop-first approach).




• More Responsive for a Better User Experience

  Mobile sites are very different from desktop sites in terms of how users engage with them. When was the last time you swiped the screen on your computer? You can develop a user experience that is created for mobile, not just adapted from the desktop when you construct a website exclusively for mobile. The better the user experience, the more likely users will visit your site, and the higher your conversion rates will be.




• Quicker loading times (and Therefore SEO)

  Your website will take longer to load if you have a lot of content on it. To make a desktop site look nice, you put in as many photographs, videos, long-form information, and graphics as you can. While this is totally okay, it may impede the performance of your mobile site. All of those gorgeous pieces of content will still need to load on your mobile site after you "gracefully degrade," slowing download times—especially for mobile customers without Wi-Fi connectivity.

Disadvantages of mobile-first approach:

Despite its numerous advantages, there are also drawbacks to mobile-first design. Here are two examples.

• Difficult to Work With

  Several website designers on the internet have described starting with a mobile-first design as "neither enjoyable nor easy." Taking a mobile-first approach necessitates a shift in mindset. If you truly want to build a remarkable mobile-first experience, you'll need to take the time to learn the secrets, experiment with what works, and figure out new design methods.




• Space and creativity both are limited

  Designing websites using a mobile-first approach can feel constraining - a lady sitting at a desk in front of a computer with her head in her hands. Mobile sites, obviously, do not have the same amount of space as desktop sites. This implies you'll have to be picky about what you include. Furthermore, it limits many of the creative design aspects that may be used on desktop sites, which can be frustrating.

It will take some time to adjust to these restrictions. Mobile-first design is more formulaic than creative, which is a turnoff for many web designers, and it necessitates the creation of a precise plan before getting started. On the plus side, once you've completed your more limited, mobile-first design, it's all upward from there! As the size of your website grows, you'll be able to expand your designs, making the final edition even better.