Follow Facebook’s lead: should your web design strategy be mobile-first?

Facebook’s Lead 

Think about the last time you logged on to Facebook. Chances are it was via mobile or tablet, and Facebook has stepped up to this technological shift by investing in great mobile UX.

Facebook’s recent strategy and advertising campaign, ‘mobile-first’ hones in on their largest users: mobile and tablet. The focus on great user experience extends to both consumers and advertisers, allowing better Facebook ad’s for marketers and easier communication for general users.

What this tells us is that when building a website, the focus should be on accommodating the largest consumer: in Facebook’s case, mobile users.

Mobile is fast becoming the preferred platform to surf the web

In 2015, Google clocked more searches performed on mobile than on desktop. This makes a lot of sense, as the growth and accessibility of both smartphones and internet-access (combined with the immediacy of western culture) means that users are constantly connected to information at their fingertips.

Ensuring that your site is mobile-optimised, user intuitive and ergonomically designed means your users have more reason to stay on your site. Longer average time on site means more chance for engagement, impressions and potential conversions, which makes for a successful online presence.

Is your content mobile optimised? 

Another key takeaway is to ensure that any content uploaded to your site is mobile-friendly. Mobile and tablet web design primarily involves long-scroll as it is user-intuitive to access information on a small screen. Ensuring that any text is broken up into small, easily digested chunks helps facilitate the long scroll and keeps users on site for longer.

Keep in mind that this needs to be industry specific and reflect industry trends. If you already have analytics outlining the platform your audience primarily uses, ensure that your web designer prioritises the most popular platform.

Jess Kumanovski, JTB Studios Account Manager
JTB Studios, Digital Agency Melbourne