Have you ever opened a website on your phone and then tried to zoom in, scroll sideways, or struggled to tap a tiny buttons? This is what happens when the website is not responsive. Responsive design is a way of building websites so they authomatically adjust to different screen sizes, whether it’s a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. Instead of creating a separate versions for each device, a responsive website adapts to any screen, ensuring a smooth and user-friendly experience.
Many designers start with the desktop version first and then shrink things down for smaller screens (including myself few years back 🙂). This often leads to messy layouts, slow load times, and a frustraiting experience for mobile users. Instead, the smarter approach is to design for mobile first, and then expand to the larger screens.
First, more people use mobile every day. The majority of web traffic now comes from mobile devices, so if your website is not optimized for smaller screens, you are losing users before they even get started.
Second, it forces better UX, less clutter and more focus. Small screens means limited space. When designing this way you are forced to prioritize what really matters – clear navigation, essential content, easy to tap buttons, … So, no unnecessary clutter. Once you are done with it, it is much easier to expand for bigger screens.
Third, performance improvement. A website that is designed for desktop first, might be slow and heavy when crammed onto a mobile screen. The mobile first approach ensures faster loading times, smoother scrolling, and better overall experience. Nobody likes waiting for a page to load.
Fourth, Google loves mobile friendly websites. In the search results, Google ranks mobile-first websites higher. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, it could hurt your SEO and make it harder for people to find you. A mobile first approach helps keep your site search friendly and visible.
A mobile first approach is not just a trend, it is the smartest way to design. It ensures a faster, cleaner, and more effective website that works for everyone. However, there are some things we need to consider every time we start working on wireframes. There are some cases where starting with a larger screens makes more sense.
If the product is data heavy, designed for professionals or highly visual complex such as SaaS platforms, analytics dashboards, stock trading apps, or professional software for graphic design, engineering, or architecture, priritizing desktop experience can lead to a more intuitive and functional design. The same applies to long form content like research papers, code documentation, or writing tools, where screen space directly impacts usability.
Ultimately, knowing your audience is key. Test early, gather insights, and adapt based on how users interact with your product across different devices.
