12 Tips for Designing a Truly Mobile-Friendly Website

Some websites are developed using a mobile-first development process. And this method of designing and developing a site puts the needs of mobile device users first.

However, despite the ever-growing number of people using mobile devices, some websites still do not provide a quality user experience on a mobile device.

There is, of course, a lot more to mobile-friendly web design than squeezing a desktop version onto a small screen. And making a site responsive only partly meets the needs of mobile users. Some fundamental design features must be incorporated into a truly mobile-friendly website. Here are the crucial points to consider when designing a responsive site for mobile devices.

Use Large and Legible Fonts

Font sizes must be large enough for people to read easily on both desktops and mobile devices. A font size of 14 pixels is generally best for desktop users. However, even a 14-pixel font may be difficult to read on a small mobile device screen. So, you might need to increase the font size to 16 pixels or more for mobile devices.

Fonts must be on-brand. However, it is best to choose responsive fonts that are clean and legible on a small screen. Experimental fonts might be readable on the large screen of a desktop. But, when reduced in size to fit a mobile screen, some fonts become virtually unreadable. So, it is best to test fonts on various devices to ensure that everything looks right regardless of screen size. And don’t forget to check what the font looks when it is bold or italicized.

Don’t Assume Mobile Users Will Use Landscape

You might think that user will hold their phones horizontally to view a website. However, surveys have found this not to be true. Indeed, it has been estimated that up to 90% of people hold their phones vertically. And they don’t switch to viewing a site in landscape mode even if the site proves tricky to use. So, it would be best to test the ease of use in both landscape and portrait modes.

Minimize the Amount of Typing Required

Typing on a mobile is not easy for some people. So, avoid asking for too much information that needs to be typed. Remember, some people have fat fingers and small phones! You can reduce the need for typing by using dropdowns. And it is best to avoid asking users for unnecessary or longwinded information.

Avoid Large and Long Headlines

As mentioned above, larger fonts are more legible on mobile devices. However, you can go too large, especially with headlines. If the font size for headlines is too large, you may find only one or two words fit across the width of a mobile screen. If that is the case, the headline could take up most of the screen. Excessively long headlines could also create the same problem.

Space Out Links

Typing is not the only thing that can be challenging on a mobile device. Trying to click on clickable elements placed too close together can also be frustrating. So, try to avoid placing hyperlinks and buttons near one another.

Make Text Stand Out from the Background

When fonts are scaled down for a mobile device, they become more challenging to read. So, the contrast between text and background is even more crucial when a site is viewed on a mobile device. For example, a grey font on a white background might be readable on the larger desktop screen. But, when scaled down for a smaller mobile screen, there might be insufficient contrast to make the text legible.

Whitespace is Still Crucial

Mobile devices have limited space to display text. Even so, it is best not to fill an entire screen with unbroken blocks of text. Indeed, whitespace should be used to break up the text just as it would be on a desktop version of a website. However, the space would be proportionally smaller on a mobile device. Whitespace will also help get around some of the difficulties of selecting clickable objects on a mobile device.

Strip Back Content

It is crucial to get the critical information across in a small space on a mobile device. So, it is generally best to strip down content and get the vital information across above the fold. It also helps if users can see there is more to read below the fold. Displaying part of a headline at the bottom of the screen, for example, encourages people to scroll down.

Consider Button Size and Placement

Buttons that are easy to click with a mouse may be tricky to press with a finger. So, consider both the placement and size of buttons when designing a mobile-friendly website.

When people use a mobile device, they tend to want to click buttons with their thumbs. So, place buttons where they don’t require people to shift their hand position to press. Buttons also generally need to be more prominent on a mobile screen. If clickable controls are too small or too close together, it may be tricky to select the right option.

Avoid Using Autocorrect on Forms

As already mentioned, typing accurately on a mobile device can be challenging. So, people often type and quickly correct errors as they type. But autocorrect may replace entire misspelt words, making correction more time-consuming. And autocorrect will often replace things like addresses with more common terms, leading to the need for yet more corrections. So, it is generally best to disable autocorrect features on the mobile version of a website.

Eliminate Pop-Ups

Pop-ups can be highly effective on a desktop website. And pop-ups are relatively straightforward to close with a mouse. However, on a mobile device, a pop-up can take up the entire screen.  And it can be challenging to locate the close option. So, it is best to eliminate pop-ups on the mobile version of a website.

Ensure that Images and CSS are Compressed

People generally use mobile devices on the go. So, page load speeds are even more critical than they are on a desktop. And anything you can do to reduce page load times will improve the user experience on a mobile device. One of the ways to reduce page load speeds is to compress CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) code and high-resolution images. Compressing images and CSS makes them load faster, but it does not negatively impact functionality or quality.

Conclusion

Mobile-friendliness is no longer a nice-to-have option; it must be integrated into a website’s design from the outset. And that means doing more than scaling a site to fit a smaller screen. It also means considering the layout of content, the placement of links and buttons, and the typography.

Websites that fail to incorporate the fundamental mobile design principles will lose out on the ever-increasing mobile traffic. But hopefully, the above tips will help you design sites that are as easy for mobile device users to use as for desktop users.