Over half of the world’s internet traffic comes from mobile devices, so we are long past the stage where good website design simply included mobile optimization as an afterthought. A professional website development agency today will approach your new website design project by focusing on mobile UX from the get-go.
Are you still not convinced? Here are some stats for you:
- Smartphones are responsible for around 53% of global website traffic
- The number of mobile users worldwide is expected to be 3.8 billion this year
- Almost 60% of shoppers prefer shopping on their mobile devices from eCommerce websites
- 70% of smartphone owners who made an instore purchase used their mobile to research the product or service before making the purchase
- Since 2020 Google said that their algorithm prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search results, and switched to mobile-first indexing – something to keep in mind for your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts
There are two types of web design that your website developers may be using for your online platform:
- Responsive website design uses adaptable layouts and allows your website to detect the size of the device someone is using and automatically scale to match it. It means that the website appears almost the same across all devices.
- Adaptive web design is the one where the site delivers the most appropriate version. It uses unique layouts for different devices which means your website will look different on desktop, mobile or tablet devices and provide quite different user experiences.
Both of these have their advantages but a website design agency today is more likely to choose responsive design due to the consistent experience it provides to users. With that in mind, it is important that the website is designed considering all applications with special attention to what looks good on mobile.
With that in mind, here are some tips about creating a website design that is perfect for mobile users. See if your website has what it takes:
1. Loading Speed
Mobile users are even less patient than desktop users, and the majority of them expect the website to load within 2 seconds, while most websites take 5 seconds or more to load fully, losing the audience in the process.
To avoid users leaving your website before even looking at the website design & content, your website development agency needs to make sure the website is optimized to load fast. This is also crucial for your search engine optimization (SEO).
The site will need to load the full-size images even if the CSS scales them down, so try to keep image sizes as low as possible. There are some JavaScript tricks used by professional web developers to make the site run smoother. It is also important to use advanced CSS and compress it. A good website hosting plan is essential for a smooth-running website, so if in doubt, consult with your website development agency for advice.
2. Large CTAs
When thinking of a mobile user experience, it is crucial to make sure all the links and CTAs are finger-compatible, meaning using large enough buttons for users to be able to simply tap them without needing to zoom in.
It’s important to also leave enough space between hyperlinks to avoid users accidentally opening the wrong one.
3. Vertical Scrolling
A user should be able to use their thumb to read the entire page without having to horizontally scroll to read the full content, which is distracting and is perceived as a glitch in website design, making the company look less professional. The copy should always perfectly fit the size of the screen with nice use of margins and white buffer space to make it look neat and well-formatted.
4. Readable Font Size
Your website design agency should keep in mind that users scroll in different environments, with different screens and environmental brightness, and also that their sight differs. Therefore it is important that the copy is large and readable, making it so that the users never have to zoom in to read the content.
5. Top-loaded Pages
Make sure your key information is at the top of each page and not hidden under a lot of other data. A mobile user will have a short attention span and will not want a thorough search for relevant information – they are likely to simply leave the website if it doesn’t appear to have what they’re looking for at a first glance or promise that all the information is organised in a user-friendly way. So put your key features up front!
6. Simple Menus
A good mobile website should always be seamless and easy to navigate. While desktop menus can use a lot of space on top of the screen and feature extensive drop-downs, on mobile this becomes cluttered and damages the user experience. Therefore web developers should use simple menus that present a clear and simple website overview, and use categories or filters to help the user be more specific in their search.
Hamburger menus are usually the way to go for mobile, and users understand that the three horizontal lines indicate the menu. Of course, this can be further stylized to match the company branding and design style as advised by their branding agency, but keeping it neat and simple is the key.
7. Intuitive Search Features
This one is especially important for an e-commerce website design. As mentioned above, simple menus make mobile browsing easier but on the flip-side, users can find it more difficult to find a specific product or service. By placing the search feature front-and-centre you solve this issue in a very user-friendly way and make search effortless for users. By adding good, intuitive filters it becomes even easier for users to find what they’re looking for and convert them into satisfied customers!
8. Easy Contact Access
A visitor might want to get in touch with you and get frustrated if it’s hard to find your contact details, especially if they’re already experiencing some issue they need your help with. Did you know that as much as 84% of customers prioritize customer service when deciding on making a purchase? Don’t fail them.
Chat and WhatsApp icons in the bottom right corner of the screen make it easy to simply get in touch with one of your representatives – just make sure someone is there to answer. Chatbots are fine but long automated replies can be infuriating. Likewise, use a call icon to enable users to instantly make a call with their phone.
9. Simplified Forms
It’s much easier to fill out a complex form on a desktop using the keyboard to type, but on mobile phones, it becomes cumbersome to have to type a lot. A good mobile website has shorter forms with large fields and buttons. Keep it simple, and don’t ask for unnecessary detail, for example for mailing lists it suffices to ask for an email and name. You can always conduct surveys later via email for your data analytics purposes, but demanding all the data upfront can simply discourage a mobile user and lead them to abandon the form altogether.
For other purposes, make any questions you have easy to answer, and when possible offer multiple choice dropdowns to make it easier for users to provide information quickly.
10. Attractive Calls-to-Action
A CTA can be a button, image, piece of copy or banner calling on the user to perform some type of action that will benefit your business objectives. This can mean inviting them to sign up to your mailing list, make a purchase, register for a seminar or simply contact you.
Keeping in mind you’re working with limited screen space, you need experienced website designers to make the CTA’s pop on the screen and grab attention, while at the same time looking attractive. One way to do it is to always place them above the fold so that they’re visible without having to scroll down.
11. Say No to Pop-Ups
Businesses often think that pop-ups are a good way to share information that demands attention, but the users genuinely hate them. In fact, there are countless Google search results about this topic alone, which prompted Google to update its algorithm to penalize websites that serve certain pop-ups on mobile devices, hurting your search rankings and with it the efforts your digital marketing agency put into promoting your website.
As much as you may feel that the message you want to convey is important, irritating your user base is never a good business tactic. If you absolutely have to use some type of pop-up, make sure it doesn’t cover the main content, isn’t displayed as a standalone interstitial that has to first be dismissed before the user can access content, or that takes up the top of the page.
The types of pop-ups Google doesn’t penalize are the ones required to meet legal obligations, for instance, age verification or cookie consent; login windows required to access content that is private/behind a paywall; and discreet banners that use a reasonable amount of screen space.
12. Avoid Flash
A big SEO mistake is to use flash on your website, as it slows the website’s load time and often doesn’t work at all. Android and iOS both don’t support flash, so by relying on flash animation in your web design you’re effectively shutting out your mobile user base.
While most website designers today no longer use it, many older websites still have outdated features such as this. This is why it’s important to often revamp your website and keep it up-to-date. Consult with a web design company to help you scrap the old technology and rework it.
Conclusion
Every good website today needs to be designed with mobile UX in mind throughout the process. Does your website satisfy these requirements?
If not, look for a good company that does website design and revamp your website to meet the requirements of a mobile user and provide them with an excellent user experience.
Even if your website is mobile-friendly, make sure to keep testing your website regularly to catch any glitch and see how your users are experiencing your website.
Do you want more information on how to improve your business with a creative website design for mobile? Get in touch now for website consultation and advice with an expert website design agency in Dubai!
