DW Tips

In today's digital landscape, it is imperative that businesses find ways to differentiate themselves from the rest of the market. One of the strongest ways to accomplish this, and drive long-term success is to continually stay on trend and innovate accordingly. One way to do so is to evaluate your design strategy and ensure that your aesthetic and brand is just as consistent on mobile as it is on a desktop. 

Considering the rapid growth of mobile users on websites, it is imperative to have a design that is able to work on both. Here are 4 critical components to consider when designing a mobile-friendly design:

1) Content prioritization

The first and foremost aspect of mobile first is determining what content needs to be front and center. Mobile-friendly design means prioritizing what is of utmost importance in terms of content and designing with that in mind. What content do you want users to focus on in a short span of time? Let that guide the rest of the process.

A recent article in Forbes does a great job of layout a blueprint in terms of what content strategy needs to look like for that approach.

2) Design device appropriate layouts

Might sound redundant, but this is an integral component. Do not assume that there is only one type of layout needed because users are now using a myriad of different devices to access what they need. Ensure that your designs will render will on a variety of devices early on, as this will reduce delays and headaches later on.

A recent blog by Shopify touched upon the mobile-friendly approach, stating, " You are not beginning designing with mobile simply in mind, but you start the design process with mobile considerations and constraints and then work your way up from mobile-specific."

3) specific features and personalization

The idea is to create a unique experience for the user, and this means providing with features they might not be able to access otherwise, and personalizing the experience. Creating features that are mobile specific will not only add to the experience, but it will incentivize users to keep coming back.

In fact, data has found that doing so leads to a higher conversion rate: "push messages that are tailored to user interests have a 54% conversion rate, versus 15% from broadcast messages."

4) Progressive enhancements

Once you have your design ready, do not let it stagnate. Revisit every so often and evaluate what features are working, what needs to be improved and where the user experience could be better. Progressive enhancements will demonstrate that you are serious about carving a foothold in the digital marketplace and ready to innovate when needed.

Smashing Magazine discusses this idea in a recent article, and states that PE is good for users since "it gives them the security of knowing they can visit your website using any of the thousands of user-agents available to them and still interact with your content as that agent allows."

To learn more about how mobile-friendly sites can drive success for your business, please click here or feel free to contact us.