Essential design tips for mobile websites

Posted by Andrei on November 11, 2016 in Web Design

We all know that mobile is the future when it comes to the online world. These days most of the internet users access the web while on the go using their smartphones and tablets. So, designing a great mobile website should be on top of every company’s list. However, this task can be a challenge, that’s why we hope the following essential tips will make designing mobile websites much easier.

Know your target audience. First of all, find out the type of device your users will be accessing your website on. This is very important to determine your design process and your website strategy. Why? For instance, if your users will be using a tablet and a smartphone to view the site, then you should design a mobile version that can accommodate many users and platforms so you can gain a wide reach.

Content should remain the same. Your content is the most important element of your mobile web design. Therefore, you shouldn’t change the core part of it as this will make your users click on the desktop version to understand more about what you are offering. Moreover, some of your users may give up if they are unable to find what they need on their mobile devices. That’s why the core content should remain the same regardless of the device that your users are accessing your site from.

Think about the future. Technology never stops evolving. With that in mind, web developers need to always think about the future so that their website design will still be great in a few years rather than having to redesign it after only one year. So, think ahead and understand that even though devices will change, their objectives will always remain the same.

Optimize your websites for mobile. Your website should take your users on the best virtual journey of their life. For that to be flawless, you need to design websites that will look as great on mobile as they do on desktop computers. This way your content can be seen easily and interactions are kept simple.

Use the right UI patterns and guidelines. Every web developer knows that an operating system comes with its own UI and principles of interaction. Therefore, when you’re designing for a certain device you should keep these principles in mind. For instance, choosing to design for iOS devices, means you’ll have to use the guidelines and patterns that are exclusive to iOS devices.

Know your Analytics. These days people use so many devices with different operating systems. This makes it very difficult to know what the majority of people uses to access your website. But that’s why we have Google Analytics and its glorious data. Using analytics, you’ll know more about what kind of devices you should design for, especially when we’re talking about screen size, version, operating system, etc.

Keep an eye on your site navigation. Most of the times this area is ignored by mobile designers, even if it’s important when you are creating mobile websites. Mobile users want to be able to access your website and navigate through it the same way they do it sitting in front of their computers. For this reason, it is important that you ensure they won’t get confused and keep coming back to your site even through their mobile devices.