Mobile device sales have eclipsed personal computer sales by a large margin and with today’s increasing use of mobile devices, which are very popular among millennials (it borders on necessity really), the term “Mobile First” is an absolute for any company who wants to build a website or other digital communications platform.
“Mobile first” was coined and invented by Luke Wroblewski in 2009. He saw a need to make sure that the website design process started with designing for the smallest screens that people will use to view a website and ending with the bigger screens. This came to be called progressive enhancement. This was because smartphones have seen an exponential rise in use back then and as you know, you can do anything from your smartphone that you can on your desktop. This is the whole reason why “mobile first” became a must for web design.
Over the years though, “Mobile First” began to evolve from just design to include the overall consumer experience and their journey. Most millennials will start their mobile-first customer journey on their smartphone or tablet and maybe even a laptop. This is why it is vital that your brand is easy to find when doing mobile searches or in social media apps like Facebook and Twitter (including a link to their website in social media pages is also a common mobile-first strategy).
Being able to reach the largest consumer demographic with the medium they use the most is the best advantage of a mobile first design. The only drawback to this type of design is that it is a bit difficult to master because there are several constraints that you need to keep in mind.
The core thought into the mobile first approach is about keeping pace with today’s ever-changing technology and user behaviour trends. Maximizing those aspects so you can interact more with your demographic can increase your sale or even just inquiries. Getting the experience right for millennials who are mostly mobile users allows you to connect with them and leave a good and lasting impression from the get-go. This will, in turn, lead to a prospective lead/sale. A mobile first strategy will include the whole experience of a consumer online.
You have to keep in mind factors like the user’s behaviour and needs. For example, if a user is using his or her smartphone when browsing your website, it would naturally be hard to type long sentences. So, you will need to introduce other modes of interaction like swipes and touches.
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