In case you’ve been absent for the past five years, there’s something you need to know: We’re in the midst of the greatest technological revolution in history. Specifically, we’re witnessing a mobile revolution where devices are getting smaller and more personal. From a designer’s perspective, this means you need to adopt a mobile first strategy.
The mobile marketplace is all about decisions. Customers have choices every step of the way. They spend time researching cell phones, comparing networks, and most importantly….choosing what content to consume.
In the past, mobile users haven’t had much of a choice when it comes to the content they consume on their devices. If the mobile experiences weren’t what they wanted, there weren’t really any alternatives. However, with the focus of the design industry now squarely on mobile UX, customers have plenty of alternatives. If you aren’t designing quality mobile experiences, you’ll feel the full effects.
There are obviously a variety of trends and techniques that depend on your niche, but keep the following tips in mind to consistently develop high-returning mobile designs.
Implement Responsive Design
Responsive web design is a must if you want to generate any returns from mobile. This should go without saying in 2016, but it’s astonishing how many designers and businesses aren’t investing in responsive design yet. It’s like they’re hoping it’ll just go away. Well, even the most wishful thinking won’t destroy responsive design. It’s here to stay and you should implement it immediately.
Focus on Minimalism
The key to wowing mobile users and moving them to action is presenting an incredibly simple and aesthetically pleasing experience. The easiest way to do this is by taking the minimalism approach.
From a developer’s perspective, you’ll be happy to know there’s a lot of flexibility and creativity allowed when it comes to minimalism. Here’s a basic look at some of the characteristics, but remember that trends are always changing. Keep a pulse on what’s happening to ensure your designs are relevant.
Integrate Scrolling Features
The small screen size on mobile devices means mobile users are used to scrolling. From SMS threads to social media apps, everything is designed around scrolling. Instead of requiring users to click small tabs or buttons to navigate between different elements, integrate scrolling features into your designs. This will keep users engaged and reduce the friction that’s often present when navigating between pages. You’ll notice an immediate return on your investment.
Simplify Conversion Forms
If you’re designing mobile landing pages – or even standard web pages designed for generating leads –simplify the conversion forms. While a good conversion form should already be fairly easy to fill out on a desktop page, it needs to be streamlined even more if you want mobile users to convert.
“We all know that long forms can be a pain to fill out. They’re even worse on mobile devices! Too much tapping, scrolling, and correcting leads to higher abandonment rates,” says Sarah Quezada of Formstack. “When building a form, ask for the essentials but don’t go overboard. Keep required fields to a minimum so users can cruise through the form quickly.”
Give Users What They Want
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, today’s mobile users have a lot of options. From the phones they purchase to the content they consume on these phones, the leverage has shifted to the consumer side of the marketplace.
In order to be successful, designers and businesses must focus on creating high quality content that’s flawless and easily digestible. In the future, your ability to satisfy users will dictate your success.
