Mobile First in web design

Current studies demonstrate that users employ devices like smartphones, tablets, desktop PCs or smart TVs in combination to browse the Internet. Therefore it is imperative to optimally design websites for all devices. It is nevertheless cost intensive to develop a separate website for each mobile device. This cannot be the permanent solution for companies. In the future the development of a single web design for all devices as a facet of "Mobile First". Noxum supports the responsive web design approach with its web technology.

Würzburg, September 28, 2012 – Noxum GmbH, a specialist for content management and editing systems develops software solutions for dynamic portals and content platforms. The Noxum web technology also supports modern web design concepts like responsive web design. Here the approaches like "Mobile First" with the facet "content first, navigation second" are especially relevant in the professional discussions.

Responsive web design: technology

Through the implementation of responsive design, the display of websites is compensated not only for the display device but above all also for its resolution. The layout of the website adjusts itself optimally to the various resolutions of laptops, PCs, tablets, smartphones or smart TVs using new standards like HTML5 and CSS3. Depending on the current resolution, the individual elements of the website are automatically scaled, repositioned or hidden. In this way an optimal display for any screen size and resolution can be guaranteed.

Therefore responsive design becomes more popular. This requires rethinking extant concepts and solving problems caused by them, as e.g. identifying unnecessary content and removing it. The web design development for desktop PCs dragged much content and navigation with it which caused tremendous problems in the display on mobile devices. For this reason, often separate websites were ordered for talets and smartphones. This is a significant cost factor for the company.

Web design the essential: Mobile First

It is also time for companies to scrutinize the choice of the web design concept. The call for a single creation of a web design is easily understood and becomes ever louder. It is also recognized that the web design for the resolution on all end devices cannot be optimal in each case. So how are he priorities to be set - which screen sizes should be preferred, i.e., for which device should the web design be absoutely optimal?

The low resolution of mobile devices and the rising number of users of them suggests the thought of web design according to the approach "Mobile First". This approach means concentrating on the essentials. The web design reduced to its essentials becomes an advantage to all users of all mobile devices.

"Content First, Navigation Second"

The question now arises, what should receive more weight - content or navigation? For this question the "Mobile First" approach offers a solution: It can be sensible to start with a clear structure for a limited display and to evolve toward the structures for desktops. It is less advantageous to start with the pure desktop version to arrive at the mobile version through radical reduction. Only once the user of the smartphone can say, that the link on the desktop is unnecessary, can one speak of a completely mobile website.

A further thought speaking for the "Mobile First" approach is the growing importance of apps. Here especially the web apps are the decisive argument: Through imitation of an app the user is technologically redirected to the mobile website. The higher the quality of the mobile website and the clearer the navigation concept is, the more valuable the putative app becomes.

Web design and functionality: summary

There are completely new requirements for the realization of website in view of the various mobile devices. Responsive web design in one answer. The website is designed once and fits automatically for smartphones, tablets and the desktop. Here the basic concept is convincing, from lean content and navigation concept for mobile devices and then offering the somewhat wider navigation and content for the desktop website. Thgis approach presents itself, since it is easier to widen the offer instead of narrowing the offer to arrive at a lean solution.

It remains in each website discussion to remember that responsive design only affects the display of the website, but not its functionality. If specific functions of the device are to be used, as e.g., route or trade fair planning, etc., then the implementation of additional technologies makes sense. Here apps for special services need to be provided. It is important to reduce the amount of data needed by devices for the mobile Internet: Then only the actual data amount used will be downloaded for the displayed media. For such requirements Noxum offers its app development solutions.