Mobile first is the
New ideology for
Digital design
by Tim Aaron
Aurnhammer Philosopher and Social Media Strategist
Since the inception of the personal computer, the principle of designing digital experiences for desktop first has been engrained into everyone’s minds like the lyrics of Carly Rae Jepsen’s single, “Call me maybe.” However, recent developments in the realm of mobile technology have called into question whether our gold standard for digital design can weather the shift towards mobile. With the recent trend towards mobile as the primary digital interface that users choose, coupled with the capabilities and limitations that distinguish the platform, mobile first seems to be the progressive ideology that will be espoused once it becomes widely accepted that change is inevitable. And for those who fear it, let it be known that if change did not occur, buds wouldn’t flower, cocoons wouldn’t evolve into butterflies, and we’d be left to solve computational problems with the tool set of Allen Turing. So then, given the changing times, let’s explore why adopting the doctrine of mobile first is a sensible and pragmatic approach to digital design.
The Financial Why: Designing for mobile first taps into an expanding industry.
If you didn’t know by now, that multipurpose camera, web browser, calculator, gps locator, music player, voice recorder, application runner and communication device that barely makes a bulge in your pocket and figuratively takes a dent out of it is actually a mobile phone! With approximately one million Android and iOS devices being sold on the market every day, you’re not the only one with a gadget that can do just about everything in the world except for think, speak, and breathe (and at this point, can’t it already think and speak?).[1] Moreover, you’re not the only one who can take his/her entire music library and information-browsing device on the go. Thus, with statistics that show just how prevalent smartphones are becoming in a world where mobile internet adoption has outpaced desktop internet adoption since its inception, designing for mobile first seems to be the practical route to be taken.[2] Those who design for mobile first rather than desktop first are designing for an expanding industry rather than a contracting one and when user numbers say it all, it would be wise to go with mobile first.
The Philosophical Why: Designing for mobile first forces you to hone in on what matters and expand from there.
Have you ever tried to expand or downsize a living space? If not, I’m sure you could imagine what the steps would be like. If you were trying to expand, you could take the existing items and appliances that you already own and redistribute them into areas that have more space. Building a new room, you could take the couch, table, and tv that previously inhabited your single, multipurpose bedroom/living room and put them into the new space that you have created in order to form two separate spaces- one for living and one for sleeping. What’s more is you could even add some chairs and an ottoman. Going from a more limited space to an expanded space is easy to wrap your head around because you maintain the same essentials and simply add on once you have more room.
So, what about downsizing? If you have ever moved, you know how hard it is to decide what to keep and what to throw away. Although your perfume-scented letters and drool-covered blanky hold sentimental value, there’s just not enough space to fit everything in your new home. When it comes to deciding what stays and what goes, you find yourself in a whirlwind of confusion and just don’t know what to do.
This analogy parallels what goes into mobile application design. If you begin by prioritizing and deciding upon what features are most important to the digital experience, you and your team will be able to come to an agreement on what matters most and you can expand from there. Starting with an extreme focus, you can optimize screen space usage, jettisoning additions that, in a limited space such as a mobile phone screen, would just amount to confusing debris. Then, once the most important features are established, you and your team can add features when you are given a few hundred thousand more pixels to innovate within.
The Technological Why: Designing for mobile first ensures optimum network connection.
Since mobile devices are often used on the go, designing for mobile first amounts to designing for a device that performs under less than ideal network connections. Optimizing network connections through reducing the number and size of file requests increases download speeds. Thus, if you want to design a site that works quickly and efficiently across multiple media, designing for mobile first ensures the most efficient use of initial file request size and numbers. Getting the most out of a network connection and building upon the original program without any extraneous commands that take away from connection speed is important in a world where people’s attentions stray at the first glimpse of imperfect network performance.[3]
The Creative Why: Designing for mobile first allows for innovation in unchartered territories.
Mobile devices are revolutionizing the ways that humans interact with their surroundings. Now, account balances can be monitored through contact with electronic visual displays and transactions can be made with the swipe of a finger; both knowledge of the world and many interactions within it are gained and conducted at the tips of people’s fingers. While capabilities such as geo-location and gesture comprehension features are just beginning to be used, we have yet to see what will come once further creative exploration into the mobile media is endeavored. So, if you would like to be an adventurer into waters that remain untouched, the digital ocean promises fantastic opportunity and incredible innovation that will not cease to amaze and inspire.
Now that you have some food for thought, join the discussion and let us know what YOU think about any aspect of the ideology that could reform and advance the way digital solutions and interfaces are designed. Only through collaborative discussion will we advance knowledge and achieve enlightenment.
Yep, looks like mobile is leading the way.