Why is mobile-first critical when it comes to development?

The rise of mobile: meeting users where they are

There’s no denying it: mobile devices are now the norm. With smartphones in nearly everyone’s hands, they’ve become the go-to device for everything from checking the news to online shopping and social media. In fact, recent data shows that around 60% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices.

Plus, we are seeing more and more mobile-only users. Those people use their smartphone as their only tool to access the internet. If your website isn’t built with mobile in mind, you’re potentially alienating a huge portion of your user base and not catering to those users could also represent be a huge opportunity loss.

When we talk about mobile-first, we’re talking about building websites or apps with mobile users in mind first. This means optimizing for smaller screens, touch interactions, and lower bandwidth environments before expanding to desktops and larger devices. It’s about prioritizing user experience on the devices they actually use most.

A better and streamlined user experience

Users have different expectations when they are on the go and usually want a fast, easy, and intuitive experience when going online. So, going with a mobile-first design approach forces developers to focus on the core content and functionality of their digital product (websites, apps, custom software, etc.). This naturally leads to a better user experience. Here’s why:

• It helps focus on what really matters. With such a limited screen space, prioritizing essential content and functionality is not optional, it is a must. By starting with mobile, you spontaneously remove any unnecessary clutter and can provide a more focused experience for your users.

• In the same way, beginning with mobile constraints and then scaling up to larger screens tends to produce cleaner and sleeker designs.

• On mobile devices interactions are mainly touch-based. Because of that, the navigation and interfaces need to be simplified with easily tappable buttons, natural swipe gestures, and legible text. As a result, this ensures seamless navigation across all devices, whether big or small.

Boost performance

Performance is everything, but especially on mobile. And mobile-first development emphasizes performance optimization from the start.

First of all, because a mobile-first approach encourages you to load only essential assets and prioritize content, you save on bandwidth usage and therefore get faster load times.

Secondly, when you start with a lean, efficient mobile version, you can progressively add more advanced features and content as the screen size increases. This progressive enhancement means that mobile users get a streamlined, quick-loading experience, while desktop users can enjoy enhanced functionality without sacrificing speed.

Search Engine Optimization

The importance of mobile is no secret for Google which now uses mobile-first indexing as the default. This means that Google primarily uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. So, if your website is not optimized for mobile, you will likely struggle to get it to rank higher in search engine results. This is obviously a non-negligible aspect for any business that is trying to boost its online presence and visibility.

Future-proofing with mobile-friendly website design

Mobile usage and smartphones do not seem to be going anywhere. So, taking a mobile-first approach inevitably helps you future-proof your digital products. You start with a rock-solid, lean core experience and build up from there. This way you are both prepared for today’s devices and user behaviors but also for new technologies as they emerge.

Just like building a Minimum Scalable Product, when starting with mobile, you are able to support your business’ growth and follow the evolution of user preferences and market trends.

Think mobile-first, succeed in the long run

When you adopt a mobile-first web design approach and lay good mobile-optimized foundations, you put yourself in the best position possible. In a world where mobile is king, adopting such a mindset is not just about keeping up, it’s about staying ahead.

From better performance to improved SEO, Miyagami’s team of experienced designers and developers knows how mobile-first development can set you up for success. That’s why we make mobile-first a core principle in everything we build. So, let’s put mobile at the forefront of your business strategy and work together to bring to life a successful, robust, and scalable digital product for today and tomorrow. Contact us today!