Regardless of whether you’ve decided to go for a responsive design or have two separate sites for desktop and mobile. No matter what, your site must cater to mobile users.
Here are 4 aspects to consider for great mobile design:
1: Your Mobile Site Cannot Be the Same as Your Desktop Site
While there are a number of things that you should keep consistent between your desktop and mobile site, there’s definitely room for creating a mobile site that is different from its desktop version. Don’t hesitate to introduce elements on your mobile site that wouldn’t work well on a desktop site. Especially, those that work well with mobile – geolocation tools come to mind.
2: Avoid overcomplicating things
For small screens, it is vital that you keep things as simple as possible. So, only add elements that are actually necessary on the site. Once you are able to focus on function, the design remains uncluttered thus offering a sense of spaciousness even if the screen is small.
3: Remember the importance of easy navigation
The most irritating sites are those that are difficult to navigate. While some of them offer very little in this regard, there are others that make it very complicated to navigate to other pages, thanks to a number of layers. Remember: this problem is made twice as aggravating when using a tablet or smartphone. So, think about keeping navigation simple right from the start.
4: Your message and branding still has to be conveyed
While your mobile site is different from your desktop site, it still has to convey the same message and branding. Some of the features from your desktop site will have to be used here too – typography, color, logo and straplines. But text and images can also be used from the desktop site.
If you do decide to write new copy, make sure your style remains the same, in terms of vocabulary and tone.