Designing mobile-first content: Adobe Express.

What is mobile-first website design?

Mobile-first design simply means that web developers focus on design from a mobile point of view first. You can then expand and translate the features to be suitable for desktop or tablet dimensions.

The concept of mobile-first goes hand in hand with responsive design – a method allowing live pages to automatically adapt to fit different screen dimensions for various devices.

Mobile-first website design is the opposite approach to graceful degradation, which starts the design process at the most advanced stage. This is so it can be universally functional, even if features aren’t supported on certain devices. It does this by starting as an all-inclusive design, and then stripping parts away for smaller screens and mobile content.

Mobile-first vs responsive web design.

While both mobile-first and responsive web design work together seamlessly to ensure consumer needs are met across all devices, there are key differences between the two.

When designing for mobile first, you start with the website in a mobile-form, and then expand the features afterwards to dimensions suitable for desktop or tablet devices. Mobile-first design is important as it’s designed in tandem to the desktop site, allowing for proactive changes to make sure the mobile experience is to the same standard as desktop.

Responsive web design is a reactive approach, where the live website can automatically adapt to fit different other dimensions.

8 mobile-first design best practice tips.

With mobile screen-time on the rise, creating a mobile-first design has never been more relevant. Here are some tips on how to incorporate this approach when building your content or web page.

1. Prioritise content.

The most important place to start is with your content, as this is what’s going to drive your platform to success. Having a variety of good quality content on your website will attract customers and help you build credibility on Google.

2. Keep your user in mind.

User experience is at the heart of mobile-first website content. It’s an immersive experience and you should also consider how your users will physically interact with their phone, and the ease of scrolling and pressing buttons.

3. Consider accessibility.

Make sure your content is accessible, and that the most important info stands out. Accessibility and mobile-first design work together to create content that is accessible and easy to use for everyone.

4. Optimise content for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Optimise your content to improve your rankings on search engines like Google and Bing. Use relevant keywords and effective meta descriptions to help build authority and increase your visibility in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

5. Use mobile-optimised layouts.

Design with appealing and functional mobile layouts, that you can adjust seamlessly to various screen sizes. Ensure the same features are effective across different mobile devices.

6. Intuitive navigation.

Make sure your page delivers a neat and clean user experience on their mobile device. Consider navigation links, or an interactive site map to help guide your users through their customer journey on your website.

7. Avoid disruptive pop ups.

Mobile devices have more space constraints compared to desktop. Try to avoid disrupting this further with unnecessary pop-ups. This will make the site messy and damage user experience.

8. Test your website.

Make sure that you test your website on mobile before it goes live, so you can spot and iron out any flaws. This is a great chance to ensure your website provides optimal user experience across different devices.

1. Pick out your content priorities for a mobile-first design.

When it comes to creating a new webpage for mobile, you might find that the content needs to be prioritised in a slightly different way to usual.

For example, you might need to consider how many products you can fit on the page, or where the Search bar might need to be located in the content hierarchy. This tends to differ from a tablet or desktop view, as the screen space is more limited.

You can list out the different pieces of content you need to include, then order them by number so you have a clear idea of the structure and must-have elements.

2. Use your Adobe Express library to work out which assets are needed for mobile.

Once you know which features you need, you can then start to think about your assets. Adobe Express lets you build your own Library, filled with essential brand assets and imagery you might need to include in your mobile-first web designs.

This might include different variations of your logo, mobile-friendly fonts or banners to include within key webpages.

Simply upload your assets or save existing templates to your Library. Then invite people to collaborate and access the assets. This will help keep your designs on-brand, no matter who is designing.

3. Create your mobile-first webpages.

Then it’s time to start building the webpage. Adobe Express comes with a wide range of templates to help inspire your designs and make the content creation process that bit easier.

Browse the range of template options for different industries, sectors and channels – whether it’s a blog for your large eCommerce business, or a mobile-first newsletter design to send out to your email database.

Love what you’ve created? You can easily save the template to your favourites for future use.