If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

You know the mobile stats are high – 95% of Americans own a cellphone, of which 77% are smartphones, and 42% of them use a mobile device as their primary internet tool.

Have you adapted?

Here are some must-know mobile design practices to help you get started:

Prioritize content (mobile devices have less screen real estate)

• Design your website with multiple platforms in mind.  
• Remove items that don’t directly improve user experience – text, images, etc. that clutter the page and make navigation difficult
• Create a tappable menu to contain the information you don’t want to remove
• Keep the search box!

 

Take advantage of device features (smartphone web browsers offer more diversity)

• Add your phone number so it automatically prompts a call when touched
• Code your social media icons so they open in the app versus the browser (assuming the user has the app)
• Have your email address open in the email app and autofill the recipient

 

Think touchability (fingers are bigger than mouse pointers)

• Make links bigger to avoid navigation errors – and user frustration
• Use the recommended size of at least 45 pixels in height

 

Failure to create an intuitive mobile site will hurt you in the long run. For one thing, it will increase bounce rates and reduce conversions; for another thing, Google will penalize you and you’ll lose ground in the search engine ranking game.

Good luck out there!