How to Develop and Test a Mobile-First  content strategy in 2021 
Tags: mobileappdevlopment
Published: 2021-03-20 12:27:56

The Internet has connected 4.66 billion people since October 2020. In total 59% of the total world population. Surprisingly, that's not even the surprising part. 

The statistics to consider are mobile users and their emergence in the Internet world. Of the 4.66 billion people connected to the Internet, there are 4,280 million mobile Internet users. 

A number that reminds us how important mobile device users are and why we should prioritize them.

As amazing as these numbers are, everyone has seen it coming with the increase in mobile users and mobile sales around the world. As a web developer, we have long wanted to change our design methodologies and development tactics to suit mobile device users. 

One of these design paradigms is Mobile Design First, which demonstrates our commitment to mobile Internet users around the world. 

A design strategy that starts with mobile users and works around their interests. 

This article prioritizes the design of mobile devices, exploring the complexities of designing and testing mobile devices and their positive impact on our business.


##What is mobile design first?##

Mobile first design is the process of planning and developing a website with mobile users in mind. This [Mobile App development methodology](https://www.ojctdigicom.com/services/mobile-app-development) has moved from the desktop to the first, and always has been, in response to the increase in the number of mobile internet users around the world. Mobile first design is part of the step-by-step method where we are slowly moving towards more advanced design.

Cutting-edge advancements begin with a basic design that meets the demands of the mobile device. This basic design consists of minimal elements on the web page and eliminates anything that a mobile user is not interested in. 

From there, we'll take it a step further and add a few more elements that add complexity to our design, while also sticking to modern web design techniques and mobile devices. - the beauty. 

This will continue until we are satisfied and have implemented all the necessary modules in our application.
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/i3f5yi11t64wccpz9vej.png)
  
Mobile design first is a practice where development begins with the mobile user or mobile device first. Contributing to 52% of current internet traffic, a website for mobile devices can help us increase overall engagement and make us visible on the internet (on Google). 

Starting with indexing mobile devices, Google also tweaked its algorithm to show that mobile device users have priority today. 

Designing mobile devices first is not a complex task, but a series of small development changes that can ensure that your website looks great on the mobile device with a satisfied user. 

To develop a mobile design website first, we need to pick up some habits and remember some tips for testing the app effectively.

##How to develop a design that prioritizes mobile devices

_The journey to develop the design of a mobile device can first be broken down into the following stages_:

**Wireframing**

The importance of Wireframe in the initial design of a mobile device is similar to a map when we are constructing a new building. 

Wireframe provides an architectural way of how things will be. With wireframes in hand, not just technical teams, anyone in charge of the project can understand high-level rendering of the app or in user terms: what will my app look like?

While customers and analysts can check off their requirements checklist, developers can understand how application elements will be configured.
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1u3cp6vp183yo8hznsy6.png) 

A research article published by KPMG identifying “failed IT projects” revealed poor project planning as one of the reasons for the project failure. The other great reason to use wireframes is that they increase developer efficiency due to clearer goals. 

A similar result can be observed with the TDD and BDD approach in the tests.

**Use responsiveness and a responsive framework**

A responsive framework is first and foremost a critical step in the development of mobile device design. A responsive website adapts to the environment in which it is displayed, such as screen size, platform, or orientation. 

Mobile devices do not have a fixed format in the market. An overwhelming listing on Screensiz will lead you to believe that the media query and meta tag app won't work for all devices and that a generic approach is the only solution. 

Responsiveness is adjusted not only to the device screen, but also to the user experience. Although a user can browse the content, they will see an image at least once. 

It must be perfect! But as we reduce the aspect ratio of the web page, we subconsciously focus on the subject of the image. 

In the image below, the comparison speaks to this point as the family scrambles on a smaller screen device:![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gi48avwubx0jabtyxn2g.png)
 
 

Resizing it on its own is a risky business, as an image can lose its importance altogether. 


A good, responsive website will take care of that and produce a different, lower quality, but cropped image on a smaller screen, as shown below:

Or if I only show the mobile image, it was cropped like this:![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/fa8zohpfqpi75u6vjqzm.png)
 

Since the focus is not on the tree but on the family, we need users to see our topic clearly. This is a responsive character based on user experience that is part of a responsive website.

A response framework takes into account response needs and has built-in capabilities to improve website responsiveness. 

With a responsive framework, developers don't have to worry about everything and can focus on big issues like resizing the image above. 

Responsive frameworks are the most successful and popular in a mobile-centric design strategy.

**Follow the golden rule**

Before we publish our content on the website, we need to determine the location of each element in relation to the interaction habits of mobile users. A simple reason for this thought is the general way most people use their phones; With one hand.

75% of people use the thumb to operate the mobile device which, when painted as a red-green area, looks like this:
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3eosp3xd2fezhabsh2jr.png)
 

The green area in the image above shows the area easily accessible on a mobile screen. Our key elements, such as calls to action, should be in the green zone so that they are easily accessible to a mobile user. 

Remember that the user does not use a mouse to operate a mobile device. Reaching the red zone requires repeated efforts and actions of which the user, voluntarily or unintentionally, is always aware.

The image below shows the effort a user would spend on a very minor design change (which is not a mobile design in my way):

This small change can lead to more user participation without our users having to make any effort.
Discover the content and layout of your mobile device

Designing a desktop-like website doesn't require special attention to content. The screen is large and can accommodate any content you want to add. The same attitude does not work at first moving. 

 
If the screen is smaller and we only have less than 3 seconds to impress a user, the content should be concise and to the point. A good solution to replacing a lot of content on your screen is to use images, a hierarchical formatting method, or through a better user interface.

Content reflections should be replicated when you first work with elements in a mobile layout for the same reason of less screen space. Providing a cluttered screen with too many distributed elements confuses the user and takes them away from the CTA conversion goal. This is also called a minimalist (or minimalism) approach in web design. A minimalist approach distributes very few elements on the screen, leaving plenty of white space for the user. The following image shows the minimalist design:

But a mobile design is different from a mobile design. Ultimately, we should extend this web page to desktop users as well. Minimalism on the desktop is also a good approximation as the font size and hero images are also proportional.

Cleaning up our layout and content reminds us why it's important to move from Basic to Advanced and not the other way around (i.e. fancy downgrade). If that had been the desktop layout in the beginning, the team would have to think about filling a big screen first and then removing them one by one for the mobile device. At this point, management becomes too complex, difficult to limit our elements, and takes too much time and effort. So just start with a minimal design and then work your way up, which is the first step in a mobile design strategy.
Prioritize user interface and user experience

Mobile device design must first revolve around mobile device users to increase engagement and conversions on our web application. While the animations and transitions are elegant enough to touch, the user experience is about more than self-explanatory elements. Our user experience doesn't have to be too flashy, but it should engage users without them realizing our intentions. For example, items should be extremely easy to find on a web page. A mobile user should never have a problem finding the search button. Conventional element locations work in this case because, for example, a navigation bar is always in the corner (left or right).

Another aspect of prioritizing user experience is expanding touch targets for comfortable interaction. Unlike a desk with a small, pointed arrow, we touch our screens with our thumbs, which requires a large surface area. A mobile device layout first encourages large clickable items with spaces between them to avoid unwanted clicks.

It's not a bad idea to keep these settings intact while moving to the side of the desktop. Companies have started to maintain a better user interface with large boxes to operate offices, clearly showing their approach to mobile design. The magnification elements also include determining the best font size for your web page, taking into account the smallest screen size. The font size is easier to change via media queries and you can follow the table below to decide which size to choose in which scenario:

Remember that the font also affects the visibility and readability of the font size on a mobile device. Therefore, it is best to try and find your perfect size using the chart above.

Tip: One little thing to remember when developing a mobile layout is to avoid floating elements only on your web page. Hover is a great tool on desktops, but mobile phones do not support hover. They work on tactile interaction. You can continue to scroll the layout with touch, but building elements with scrolling only is not a good idea.
**Call-to-action placement**

CTA is an important button. It helps to achieve conversion goals and all businesses want their users to click this button and increase their conversion rate. Therefore, it requires special attention from the team members. The call to action placement is the first thing that needs to be carefully completed by reminding you not to overload our user.

Calls to action should always be within reach of the thumb (remember the green area?) And also on the first screen presented (above the fold).

Besides placing the call to action, the message and presentation of a call to action is also an art in itself, but let's leave that to discussions about optimization for mobile devices.
Navigation bar

The navigation bar in a mobile layout should be simplified in the first place compared to the desktop. While the desktop design has also transformed the navigation bars into several unique designs, mobile-first continues to benefit from the conventional hamburger menu style. People expect this today! If a user cannot find an option on the destination screen, they will look for those three horizontal lines that they believe will lead to what they are looking for.
The mobile-first approach helps us reduce the number of links available in the navigation menu, as long link lists are not popular. For those who can't afford to sacrifice themselves, a nested layout seems like a better option than intimidating the user with a long list of links. Plus, it also keeps our presentation clean and encourages minimalist design with a neat content approach.
**Say no to heavy elements**

The loading speed of a web page has become a decisive parameter in the design of a website. An Unbounce survey shows that 70% of customers are affected by the speed of a website. Your decisions are affected by the FCP or the loading of a full page. Representing FCP (the first thing you see on your website) is a better option because the user has something to participate in.

Google recommends a load time of 2 seconds or less. Currently, most of these websites do not meet these criteria. Up to 57% of people leave a website that takes longer than three seconds to load. Conversion rates also come at a price when the page speed is faster than expected and has a direct impact on the business. So how can we save ourselves from it?

Using lighter weight elements on a web page designed for mobile users is the first step to take. If images exist, they should probably be in a lossless algorithm format, such as JPEG, and smaller in size. Resizing to a lower aspect ratio is also helpful, as the mobile user rarely cares about high quality images in addition to product images. Using CDNs can also help reduce page load times. For a WordPress website, plugins should be as minimal and light as possible. Static plugins are a good start, but ultimately the elements of a webpage should be lighter, use asynchronous algorithms for FCP, and send fewer requests to the server.
How can I test the design of a mobile device first?
They are on top of the points that help us create the first mobile design that starts with the minimal base design of the user interface and increases complexity without sacrificing user experience. Thus, it is equally important part of a web site to try. Trying the program can reveal hidden bugs and secrets that people do not want or do inappropriate. First, let's see how we can improve our website calls and testing.
**Use tools**

Similar to using responsive frameworks in development that provide us with built-in functionality and common code, the tools do the same during testing. A mobile web testing tool not only creates an environment in which to display the website, but also provides certain functionality on a mobile device that is extremely important for a mobile design first.
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5rnzcq1x1kjhx1o3dtxg.png)
 

Consider one of those LT browser tools that I recently discovered on ProductHunt.

LT Browser is a browser specially designed for mobile internet testing and responsive website testing. Offers over 45 screen sizes for testers to view your website. With such a tool, you can easily find bugs using built-in debuggers and take advantage of hot reload features to help you develop as well. With integrated performance reporting and integrations, you can easily analyze and share performance with your teammates.
LT Navigator shows two devices side by side with different orientations

On-the-fly testing and debugging: LT Browser allows users to test and debug their websites on the go; The integrated development tool is very useful in making a website perfect on all devices.
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/dn361akii3h7fk6mr7fr.png)
 

**_Network Restriction_** - This is an amazing and unique feature provided by LT Browser which allows a user to monitor website operation with high and low network bandwidth.

_Local Testing_ - Local testing allows the developer to test their website before publishing their website online. The local tunnel allows them to visit the website on any of the 45+ devices on their local system.

**_Performance Report_**: To analyze the ultimate performance of the website, developers and testers can look at the Google Lighthouse-based performance report, which allows them to modify certain aspects of the website to achieve higher scores on the computers of desktop and mobile devices.
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/pveeuvtf8j4yl5139xlu.png)
 

The tools help you increase productivity and stay efficient throughout the process. The choice of tools is a personal choice of the tester, but they should definitely play a role in the overall test.
**Test the cross browser**

Cross-browser testing involves analyzing your website on different browsers, operating systems, and target resolutions. For a mobile optimized website to be successful, it needs to be displayed as intended on a mobile screen regardless of the platform and browser being used. This can be tested through cross-browser tools such as LambdaTest

As a tester and developer, it's definitely not a good idea to go through these efforts manually. There are an overwhelming number of combinations of operating systems, browsers, and resolutions that take a lot of effort to install and test. A better way is to go for multi-browser online test tools with support for mobile browsers and operating systems or a mobile-specific browser such as the LT browser mentioned above.
So what are we looking for cross-browser tests to try?
Cross-browser test check for problems with web page features and if these are compatible. While the functionality is part of the test, the cross-browser test shows the corresponding issues between the browsers. For example, if you used a CSS subgrid on your web page, they may fail to Google Chrome version 62. That goes to JavaScript libraries with another code. With the browser board in hand, after testing, we can be sure that our user will not be disturbed, i.e. B. if an item on the website fails.
**Validate HTML and CSS code**

Every crash on the website is not the browser's fault, sometimes programmers make mistakes! Because the browser processes or analyzes a web page and does not compile, errors and warnings do not prevent a web page from loading. Now that we've tested in different browsers, but still can't find an issue with something missing, it's usually a bad syntax error. Such syntax errors and non-adherence to W3C web standards can cause problems for us when we first move from mobile designs to full desktop designs.
HTML and CSS code is very easy to integrate. There are many tools that can do this job for us. Some of them are Validator.in, W3C Markup Validator, and W3C CSS Validator.
Network performance

A major obstacle in our efforts to test the load speed of web pages is a network. A slower network means slower download of web pages and longer page load times. For the first design of a mobile device, it is extremely important to cover all types of users when testing. One of these sections is for users with slower networks, such as the 3G network, which accounts for 12% of Internet users in North America. Only 4% of people now use the 5G network in North America. Imagine this number for countries with poor network infrastructure !!

Network performance can be tested on a real device by changing the connections or by using an online tool that provides these functions. LT Browser has a network acceleration feature to test the website on different connections, which allows for reactive or cross-browser testing.
**A / B test**

A / B testing is a type of variation test or split test that shows different variations of a web page for different user segments. Website owners then analyze the performance of both versions and choose the one that offers the best performance. For a mobile device design application, we can develop everything perfectly by following all the rules in the manual, but the final judgment is up to the user. If the user doesn't press that shiny CTA button, we have to fix it knowing what the user wants.
A common question in A / B testing is: where do we create the variance? We cannot confuse all the elements of the web page and make fifty variations for the users. To understand where we go wrong and what elements need to be adjusted, we can select the characteristics of the heat map. The heat map allows web application owners to see how the user is interacting with the web page and what part they are ignoring.
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5zdxrt0kg07sur8e9mxf.png)
 

Famous A / B Testing Case Study Includes 40% Sales Improvement on EA Sports SimCity 5 Variable Page:
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/zzbw45abiva2oeooz9xg.png)
 

To this end:
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/i9l6v4un1t0wj5w36oxe.png)
 

Buyers were less interested in the pre-order offer I think!
*Usage tests**

The final step in making our mobile web design is to present it to real users first and receive their feedback. A / B testing is good, but even if you see the heat map of the webpage, you can't talk to a real user and ask them why they're not hitting the CTA button. Usability testing fills this gap.

Usability testing is conducted with the real users who should be the target audience for the app. For example, you can't ask a poet to visit a coding website, can you? Once these users are selected, we ask them to record their session and screens and express their thoughts aloud. Sometimes the reviewers can also sit down with the users and take notes while asking the questions. Sometimes we can just ask them to fill out a form with different options. Either way, usability testing is important and it first reveals hidden bugs that are hard to find in a mobile design, which is a tricky thing in and of itself.
**Why is mobile presence important?**

In our review of mobile device design and development techniques, you will ask yourself why you should create a mobile device design first? Is mobile presence so important?
A few days ago, I checked my website in Google Search Console and the pop-up looked like this:
Phone-first design is so important today that Google considers phone-first indexing as the best search method, increasingly appearing on a phone search that represents 52% of internet traffic! But this is from Google, what do we have in the box for us?
![alt text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/oerew9op4bysaa038skk.png)
 
 
**Best Google Ranking**

A mobile-first design is mobile-friendly. It is for mobile users. Therefore, Google realizes that we have a website that is perfect for a mobile user and makes us more visible in searches generated from a smartphone. As a result, our ranking improves. Higher Google rankings attract other businesses because we are more visible and can promote it on our website if we wish. Since users usually can't remember the name of the website, a Google search helps us drive traffic and conversions.
**Higher conversion rates**

An initial design of a mobile device reduces the bounce rate. If the bounce rates are low and people are genuinely interested in your website, they will stick with it and come back often too. Since the CTA is positioned correctly and all eligibility criteria are met, a mobile-focused design will increase your conversion rates, leading to better engagement and goal setting. As a result, you will get stable activity with your app.

**Large audience coverage**

Businesses also create a large following when they are visible in Google rankings and have a layout for mobile devices. A large audience is the strength of any business. They require less effort to engage as trust builds. On the other hand, if you see more engagement with your app, you can introduce other features and services as well. Such a solid foundation is a marketing advantage for businesses.
**Better market presence**

Compliance with the three requirements mentioned above translates directly into a better presence on the market. While mobile device designs are recommended for all businesses, they are currently rare. A Google keyword showing your link in search results will increase your market presence with competitors. Not only do they have to work harder to achieve this, they may have to restructure their designs if they are still working on the desktop.
Better market presence means better word of mouth about your events, features, and upcoming highlights. Such a presence is a direct cause of a better income and a better future.
**Is Mobile-First comparable to Mobile-Responsive?**

A short answer; Do not! Mobile-first is a design method. With mobile device design first, [we develop our web application for  It starts with a very simple design and gradually evolves into a more complex design structure, with mobile compatibility and mobile users as a priority. Mobile design first is not a development technique, but rather a design strategy that acts as a development catalyst. Developers can achieve a clear goal and work faster with the defined design.

Mobile response is the website's ability to scale to the size of the mobile screen. Responsive mobile design doesn't have to start with the mobile version of the website and doesn't take into account thumbnail area or relevance of the content. Mobile responsiveness only refers to viewing the website on a smaller device.

A responsive mobile design strategy can be seen as part of mobile design first, because to produce a mobile design first, the application must be responsive in nature. The mobile adaptive design strategy was a good move when mobile device users were just starting to grow. At present, there has been extensive research on mobile design where it is difficult to survive a responsive mobile design strategy. To meet the needs of 4.2 billion mobile internet users, we need a design that puts mobile devices first.If you want to [hire a good app development company](https://www.ojctdigicom.com/services/mobile-app-development) make sure they meet all the points mentioned in the article.