How to Design for Mobile Users

Creating a responsive website should be a top priority of web designers today. Responsive websites are websites that can be viewed on any device — be it computer, mobile phone, or tablet. And most people use both phones and computers to browse the Internet. In fact, more Google searches come from mobile devices than from computers. In lieu of that, here are some tips to successfully design for mobile users.

1. Don’t hide the menu

The navigation on your website should be easily accessible to all users, on any mobile device. Hiding the menu under a hamburger icon, while convenient, can confuse users. If you absolutely need to use a hamburger icon, be sure to label it “Menu”. That will at least ensure that people will find it.

2. Make it responsive for all resolutions

Different phones are different sizes. Therefore, all resolutions should be taken into account. You can’t just design a mobile website to work on iPhones, when millions of people don’t have them. It can be hard to make a perfect looking website for every single screen, so as long as the website functions properly on all of them, that is what matters most.

3. Let people zoom

Consider the screen size when you design for mobile devices. Mobile phones have small screens, therefore you need to let people zoom. Even if someone has great eyesight, they still zoom to look more closely at pictures, to highlight text, and just to put less strain on their eyes.

4. Make sure buttons are big enough to click

Big thumbs need to be accounted for in design for mobile devices. Short thumbs do too. Make sure that anything clickable is big enough to be clicked. And if a button is on the top of the mobile screen, make it larger than buttons on the bottom. People with shorter thumbs will have an easier time clicking a button on the top of the screen if it’s bigger.

Now you know key features to ensure when you design for mobile devices. While there are plenty of other things you should do when designing a mobile site, these little tips will definitely ensure better usability.