It’s official. Mobile traffic has surpassed its desktop counterpart. So when it comes to web design and development, you can no longer afford to build a desktop site first and adapt it later to mobile. It’s time to start thinking like a mobile user first.
What do your existing and prospective customers need when they’re out on the streets in line at Starbucks, away from their desks? What do they want when they’re scrolling aimlessly through Facebook in bed? What are they thinking about when they’re lounging haphazardly on their couch, with half their attention devoted to the Netflix show playing on their laptop while the other half is fixed on their friends’ Instagram stories?
When you’re using your phone, you might be at your desk, but you could be at the gym. At a friend’s house. On a plane, train or automobile. Your needs are different. You might be rushing between meetings, desperate for a latte or a guac-rich burrito. You might be on the way to your in-laws only to realize you forgot to pick up a bottle of wine. A billboard you saw on your way to work might have reminded you that you need to book tickets to an upcoming concert. You might be laying in bed next to your spouse one Sunday morning and decide to book a getaway overseas for the two of you. You might have a secret addiction to the “buy with just one click” button on Amazon and receive packages right to your door on a weekly (or daily) basis. The list of scenarios is endless, and is completely different than what you’d be looking for while on your laptop.
So why not think of your business’s mobile site as an entirely distinct entity from your desktop site? Does all the desktop content really need to be on your mobile site? Or could you streamline all the imagery and messaging down to what people actually search for while on the go? Opt for fast-loading images (speed is paramount), don’t write anything longer than a Tweet and forget, even just for a second, about what you think is the most important content to your shareholders. Put what users would look for on the go at the forefront and make it easy to access with as few clicks as possible.
Because it’s not about you. It’s about your target audience.