Often the mobile experience for a web application or site is created after the desktop version is released.
With a mobile first viewpoint, we start by loading the absolute bare essentials on the smaller platforms. This leads to a snappier experience that avoids unnecessary lag. The additional resources are loaded strictly on an as-neeeded basis to platforms that can handle them well.
“I think it’s now the joint project of all of us to make mobile the answer to pretty much everything”. Eric Schmidt
Here are 3 reasons why web applications should be designed for mobile first:
1. Mobile is fast-growing!
- Heavy mobile data users are projected to triple to one billion by 2013. (source)
– Mobile internet adoption has outpaced desktop internet adoption by eight times. (source)
– Smartphone sales will surpass worldwide PC sales by the end of 2011 . (source)
– Over half of Android and iPhone users spend more than 30 minutes per day using mobile applications. (source)
2. Mobile forces to focus!
when a team designs mobile first, the end result is an experience focused on the key tasks users want to accomplish without the extraneous detours and general interface debris that litter today’s desktop-accessed Web sites. That’s good user experience and good for business.
3. Mobile extends your capabilities!
Location information, multi-touch, device positioning, user generated content and more – Mobile application platforms are introducing more exciting capabilities