Mobile devices now account for more than half of all website traffic, therefore having a mobile-friendly website is more crucial than ever.
The mobile experience is important for providing a good user experience that will keep visitors engaged with your site.
But many people still make common mistakes when designing their website for mobile devices.
In this post, we’ll outline the most common mobile design mistakes to avoid. Stay ahead of the curve and make sure your website looks great on any device!
- One Size Does Not Fit All
- Ignoring Context & Mobile User Needs
- Overcomplicated Menus
- Forgetting About Touchscreen Users
- Elements Too Close Together
- Text that is Too Small
- Not Optimising for Speed
- Not Optimising Images
- Failing to Test
One Size Does Not Fit All
Just because your website looks great on a desktop doesn’t mean it will look good on a mobile or tablet device. Different devices have different mobile screen sizes, resolutions, and orientations, which can impact how your website is displayed.
It’s important to create a separate design for mobile devices that takes these differences into account.
Show important elements first and hide less important ones. A good mobile design should be simplified, with larger buttons and easy-to-read text.
Consider responsive design principles to ensure your website looks great on any device.
Ignoring Context & Mobile User Needs
Mobile users are often on-the-go, looking for quick answers to their questions. They don’t have time to sift through irrelevant information or click through multiple pages to find what they need.
Your mobile website should be designed with a focus on providing the user with a great experience specific to their needs. This means considering the context of use and delivering content accordingly.
Overcomplicated Menus
Your website menu is one of the most important elements on your mobile site, so it’s important to get it right – it should be easy to use and understand. A good rule of thumb is to keep it simple, and only include the most important pages.
On a mobile device, people are looking for specific information quickly and don’t want to wade through a long list of menu items.
You can also consider using a hamburger menu, which is a popular design element that condenses the menu into a simple icon. This can be a good way to save space on your mobile website.
Forgetting About Touchscreen Users
If you don’t have a website that is designed with touchscreen users in mind, you’re probably missing out on a lot of traffic and potential consumers.
Touchscreen users are those who use their fingers or a stylus to navigate their devices, as opposed to using a mouse or trackpad.
Some common design mistakes that can make your website difficult for touchscreen users include:
- Small buttons or links that are difficult to tap
- Links that are too close together
- Content that is not easy to read or scroll through
Elements Too Close Together
When elements on your website are too close together, it can be difficult for mobile users to select the correct one. This is especially true if those elements are small or have similar colours.
Make sure that there is enough white space between each element on your website, so that mobile users can easily select the right one. Otherwise, they may end up clicking on the wrong button, which can be frustrating and lead to a poor user experience.
Text that is Too Small
If the text on your website is too small, mobile users will have a hard time reading it. This can lead to them leaving your site altogether.
Make sure that the text on your website is large enough to be easily readable on a mobile device. This will help improve the user experience and keep people on your site longer.
Not Optimising for Speed
Mobile internet speeds can vary widely, so it’s important to optimise your website for speed.
Studies have shown that people are increasingly impatient when it comes to waiting for websites to load, and this is especially true on mobile devices.
In fact, 40% of visitors will abandon a website that takes more than three seconds to load, and a one-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.
Some ways to optimise for website speed include:
- Optimising images
- Reducing redirects
- Minimising HTTP requests
Not Optimising Images
Images are an important part of any website, but they’re especially important on mobile devices. Mobile users are often on the go and have slower data speeds, so it’s important to optimise your images for size and speed.
Make sure your images are compressed and have the right dimensions for your mobile website. This will help ensure that your website loads quickly and looks its best on all devices.
Failing to Test
Mobile devices come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s important to test your website on as many different ones as possible before you launch it. This includes testing on different types of smartphones and tablets, as well as different operating systems.
Don’t forget to test your website on real devices too, not just emulators. Emulators can be helpful, but they don’t always give an accurate representation of how your website will look and work on a real device.
So, make sure to test your website on as many different mobile devices as you can before you launch it.
Conclusion: Having a Mobile-Friendly Design is Essential
Mobile design is essential for any website that wants to be accessible to users on all devices. It provides a good user experience and can help you reach a larger audience.
When you’re designing for mobile, keep these common mistakes in mind and avoid them at all costs. This will help ensure that your website looks and works its best on all devices.
Recap
- Designing for mobile devices requires an understanding of multiple screen sizes, resolutions, and orientations.
- Consider context when designing for mobile, as users are often on-the-go and looking for quick answers to their questions.
- Keep menus simple by focusing on the essentials and using hamburger menus to save space.
- Optimise for touchscreen users by ensuring buttons and links are large enough to easily select.
- Provide adequate spacing between elements to prevent accidental selection.
- Text should be large enough to read easily on a mobile device.
- Optimise the website for speed by reducing redirects, minimising HTTP requests and compressing images.
- Test your design across multiple devices (including real devices) before launch.
Limitless Networks, A Kerry Web Design Company
If you want your website to be accessible to users on all devices, contact Limitless Networks today. We can help you create a mobile-friendly website that looks and works it best on all devices.
