Mobile website design is unforgiving. If you mess it up, people bounce away from your website in droves.

Our website development approach is to start with a blank page. Working with clients, our web design staff work hard to think like the user. What are they using your mobile website for? What is their hierarchy of needs from their phone use, compared to desktop? And so on.

This approach means you are only including essential elements. 

Even though we strive for simplicity and speed in mobile web design, it doesn’t mean you have to throw out your branding. Use your phone to check out this website we did for Kangaroo Island Spirits: the aesthetics of the desktop site combined with large, clear buttons and choices.

 The business case is obvious but worth restating. With some 93 % of people using their phone to access the internet, you must have a responsive site that works well for both mobile and desktop platforms. If someone has to zoom in, they are just as likely to move on to one of your competitors.

Some elements that a good Adelaide mobile web designer will take into account:

1. A desktop will have a faster processor and access to a better data network. That means the mobile website must be lean enough to cope with this loss of ‘muscle.
2. Custom web fonts are slow. Most designers don’t want to hear that. But the ones that care about their clients and about designing a great user experience will put their aesthetic needs to the side and find a font that looks good and is also fast. So your fancy fonts? Replace them or look at hosting them on a CDN.
3. If you have a website package that allows ads, it’s time to drop them. Unless you sit on a digital gold mine, chances are you are earning miniscule revenue. Lots of people use ad blockers. And it definitely slows down the mobile experience. 
4. Does your designer use pop ups because they can’t work out how to fit certain elements onto the screen? They annoy people. It’s not the best web design. Leave them for your desktop site (if at all).
5. Mobile forms. These need to be kept super simple. Even digital natives roll their eyes if they have to fill out lengthy forms on a phone.
6. If your mobile design comes back with a navigation bar, think about changing your designer! Seriously! Hamburger menus are now finding their way across to desktop design. Everyone knows what they do – and they save valuable space.
7. Phone numbers and addresses should not be static on a mobile phone web page. The phone number needs to be clickable; after all, the person is on a phone. Likewise, mobile users are often on the move and if they are after your address, there’s a very good chance that they will want a map to guide them to your shop, office, school factory etc. Make it easy for them.
8. Use collapsible sections (also known as accordions). This is a clean way of hiding text that would otherwise have to be scrolled through. Google has repeated over and over that you won’t be penalized for this in SEO terms.

That’s our starting list. There are so many options, so much fun to have with your mobile website design. Adelaide’s creative studio – Boylen – is just waiting for your call 0n (08) 8233 9433.