Mobile-first Digital Approach

A website with great content but poor mobile experience is still a ranking disaster. Google’s mobile-first indexing isn’t just a trend it’s the standard. If your site isn’t built for mobile, your rankings, traffic, and conversions will suffer. A desktop-friendly website used to be enough. But an optimized, fast, and mobile-first site? That’s what keeps you ranking and thriving. It’s what makes your site: ✅ Easier for Google to crawl & rank ✅ More user-friendly on any device ✅ Resilient against SEO penalties ✅ Aligned with how people actually search Here’s how to stay ahead in the mobile-first era: Prioritize Mobile Experience ↳ Fast loading, clean navigation, and responsive design are non-negotiable. Optimize for Voice Search ↳ People search differently on mobile—focus on conversational, long-tail keywords. Ensure SEO Parity Across Devices ↳ Your mobile and desktop versions must be equally strong in content, links, and structure. Adapt for Local Search ↳ Mobile-first means Google My Business, local intent, and map visibility matter more. Refine Technical SEO ↳ Structured data, mobile indexing, and Core Web Vitals impact rankings directly. The bottom line? 🔹 Google prioritizes mobile-first sites for rankings and indexing. 🔹 Slow, unoptimized mobile pages lose visibility—fast. 🔹 UX matters more than ever—people won’t wait for slow, clunky sites. A mobile-first site isn’t optional it’s essential for SEO success.

📱 Thoughts on a Mobile-first Power BI Implementation 📱 We've recently gone live with a Power BI Implementation where the client wanted a Mobile-First experience. To be specific, they have little to no intention of viewing data in the Power BI Service. And mobile means phone, not tablet. What changed from the normal approach? ☎️ Instead of designing first for desktop browser, then mobile almost as an afterthought, the browser dashboard becomes a placeholder for the mobile visuals. That said, you still need to ensure the browser dashboard is well presented, in case it gets used ☎️ Smaller visuals restrict the amount of data you want to sensibly show on the screen. You have to think about how the data within your visuals will look. Something that may work on a desktop, may not work on a phone ☎️ The order of visuals on the vertical scroll is important. Think about telling a story top to bottom while scrolling ☎️ Plan to fit complementary visuals on a single screen so they can be viewed together. Scrolling up and down whilst trying to remember numbers and relationships isn't a good user experience ☎️ Power BI has no settings for the screen size of the mobile device, you can't differentiate between a (e.g.) 6 inch or 6.8 inch screen where the on-screen estate is different ☎️ You can't control-click on a mobile device so make sure you remove that option from your visuals We've deployed to Power BI mobile on a number of occasions, but always desktop browser then mobile for occasional use. The fundamental assumption was what's good for the desktop will be good for the phone, clearly wasn't the case in this instance. Having only implemented mobile-first once and recently, I'd love to hear from you good people about your own lessons and best practices. Over and out, Andy

Just finished a strategic session with an e-commerce client and it revealed some great insights. Particularly on their heatmaps. 90% of this client’s traffic is mobile. But users weren't scrolling past the first section. Why? Because homepage was designed for desktop users who don't exist. Simple mistake, but one we see all the time. Here's what the data showed: - The pop-up problem - 95% of interactions were people trying to close it, not convert - The scroll-depth disaster - Mobile users dropped off after barely one scroll - The women's category surprise - High click-through rate despite lower sales volume - The navigation nightmare - Users couldn't find what they wanted This is what we did: ➡️ Completely rethought the mobile experience. ➡️ Added anchor navigation that drives users deeper into the page. ➡️ Used psychological triggers like the Zeigarnik effect (Google it!) to create curiosity gaps. ➡️ Moved trust elements above the fold. ➡️Fixed the search functionality for ad traffic. This is why we did it: People don't scroll on mobile - they tap. So we gave them clear pathways to jump to relevant sections. When they anchor down to their desired content, they see everything they skipped. Curiosity drives them back up to explore. Result: Higher engagement, deeper page exploration, better conversions. It’s 4 weeks before this new design goes live. The lesson is simple… Desktop-first thinking kills your mobile conversions. 90% mobile traffic demands mobile-first strategy. Not mobile-friendly design. Mobile-first psychology. There’s a difference.

“With so many screens to view something, isn’t it okay to not have a mobile-friendly design?” This is something a budding graphic designer asked me. What every designer needs to understand is that where mobile devices are the gateway to a vast online world, mobile-first design is a necessity. Here is why: 1/ With over 3.6 billion smartphone users worldwide, putting mobile users first is a no-brainer. It ensures a seamless, enjoyable experience for a massive audience. 2/ Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search results. So, if you want your site to rank well, mobile responsiveness is a must. 3/ Mobile-optimised sites reduce bounce rates and increase user engagement. A responsive design adapts to various screen sizes, keeping visitors engaged. 4/ A mobile-friendly site conveys professionalism and trustworthiness. It leaves a positive impression on your audience. A few examples of brands that have already made full use of it are: 1. Companies like Amazon and Shopify streamlined interfaces, navigation and quick load times to enhance the shopping experience on any device. 2. Airbnb and Uber offer user-friendly interfaces that make booking accommodations or rides a breeze on smartphones. 3. Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn prioritise mobile users with responsive designs, enabling seamless social networking on the go. The goal of mobile-first design is not just to shrink a desktop site but to create a tailored experience that considers mobile users' unique needs. Investing in mobile-responsive design is a strategic move to stay relevant, boost engagement and meet users where they are. What mobile-friendly projects have impressed you lately? #graphicdesigner

💡Responsive grid system (+ tutorial & tools) Practical recommendations for UI designers & front-end developers for creating effective responsive grid systems: ✔ Define breakpoints Breakpoint is a specific screen size at which a UI layout adapts to provide an optimal viewing experience. Set breakpoints for common screen sizes (e.g., mobile, tablet, desktop). You can use breakpoints from Bootstrap as a reference (576px for mobile, 768px for tablet, 992px for desktop, and 1200px for large display) and adapt this system based on your specific audience & device usage analytics. Try to set breakpoints based on your content rather than specific device sizes. ✔ Set up a column grid Column grid organizes content vertically into columns. It’s primarily used to manage the layout of blocks of content and align elements horizontally. Decide on the type of grid based on the device and content. For example, a 12-column grid is standard for web design, 4-column grid works well for tablet, and 2 or single-column grid for mobile. ✔ Define margins and gutters. Margins are the space around the grid, and gutters are the space between columns. They help maintain whitespace and prevent clutter. Use consistent gutters for all mediums. ✔ Design for the smallest screen first, then scale up Designing for the smallest screen first, also known as the mobile-first approach, will maximize the chances that your UI will be both functional and aesthetically pleasing on all devices. By following a mobile-first approach, you will prioritize the content and functional elements of your solution. ✔ Scale consistently Use a consistent scale for spacing, such as 8pt grid system, to maintain uniformity across different viewports. ✔ Use fluid layouts with percentages When developing your UI, try to avoid using fixed widths. Instead, use relative units like %, vw (viewport width), or vh (viewport height). Using percentages for widths will ensure elements resize with the viewport. ✔ Use responsive units for fonts Use REM for font sizes to ensure scalability and EM for padding and margins to maintain proportionality. ✔ Use flexible images and media Consider using the srcset attribute for images to serve different sizes based on the device. Set images and videos to be responsive using max-width: 100%; and height auto. ✔ Content hierarchy Ensure the most important content is prominently displayed and easy to access on all screen sizes. Use size and scale—larger elements tend to draw more attention (i.e., use larger fonts for headings and smaller fonts for body text). Also, use the grid to strategically position important content. Elements placed higher on the page or in the center tend to be noticed first. 📺 How to design grid system in Figma: https://lnkd.in/dTPEpvRK ⚒️ Tools ✔ Interactive CSS Grid Generator https://grid.layoutit.com/ ✔ Mobile Screen Sizes: Repository of screen sizes and technical details for Apple devices https://screensizes.app/ #UI #design

𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫: Mobile-banking leaders resolve more than 80 percent of routine interactions entirely in the app by simplifying and streamlining user journeys. They now generate 51 percent more annual touchpoints and about double the mobile-driven sales and new customer acquisitions than the global average. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞: Mobile-banking apps have evolved well beyond basic functionalities. Customers are no longer limited to viewing account balances or paying bills. Instead, leading banks are now engineering mobile-first experiences that support increasingly sophisticated customer interactions—including instantly issuing virtual cards, providing seamless access to multicurrency accounts, and offering intelligent personal finance tools, such as contextual goal setting, digital financial advice, and one-click investment journeys. Banks are also extending their mobile ecosystems to include lifestyle-enhancing loyalty programs, often integrating services beyond traditional banking. 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 (𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲) 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.  Excellent collaboration with my fantastic colleagues Neha Kabra, José Capel, Annie Hillier, David Tan, and Muthanna Muslet. Link to the work in the first comment!

When it comes to consumer-facing touchpoints, we're mobile-first all day. We design mobile-first, we build mobile-first 📱 Why? Data! Over the last 12-months, 82% of the traffic to our Ecom menus was on mobile devices. But there's a disconnect when we talk to retailers: most are focused on the web breakpoint. Why? Because they often look at their menus on a desktop, analyzing it from an operational perspective rather than a customer’s journey. And I get it, because I am also tip tapping away on a desktop for work. But the reality is most customers aren't sitting at a desk when they place an order. They’re scrolling on their phones on the move, in-store, or from their couch. And it's not enough to just make a responsive site, it’s about optimizing for how real customers shop. Solid tap zones, fast load times, frictionless checkout. That’s what converts. So let's all obsess over the mobile breakpoint together cuz the data is leaning heavy in that direction 🙃 !

Seeing a disconnect between your rising mobile traffic and stagnant conversion rates? It's a common challenge in today's market. A frequent roadblock? The unintentional friction we introduce in the mobile buying process. Think about requiring shoppers to open new tabs for social proof or product information – these interruptions often lead to drop-offs. The winning approach on mobile is to prioritize a fluid experience. Enable customers to see, understand, and purchase within a single, intuitive environment. Convenience is paramount. When you streamline that journey, your mobile conversion numbers can see a significant boost. 📈 #MobileStrategy #ConversionOptimization #CustomerExperience #ShoppableContent #MobileFirst #LyveCom #LyveFeed

9 out of 10 brands don’t understand mobile experience. Here's why... 80% of your traffic is on mobile. Then, 80% of your mobile visitors who start a cart… abandon it. 🙄 All roads point to your brand's mobile experience.  📲 Brand CMOs justify this impropriety by telling themselves… ❌ “We have a mobile-optimized website so we are all good there.” ❌ “We are CRO enhancements to the site to reduce friction” ❌ “We went headless to improve conversions” ❌ “That’s just the nature of mobile” ❌ “We upped our Meta budget so conversions are lower.” Bullsh*t. These are customers who added something to the cart!  Not just any site visitor… but potential customers who were intrigued enough to start the buying process. By adding to the cart, their intent level at that point is HIGH. And yet.... 80% of them don't buy. Sure... you can chase them later with an email or SMS. But instead, focus on solving the core problem.  It's the mobile experience causing too much friction for the customer, taking away their confidence to buy. This problem simply does not exist with a mobile app. It solves the abandonment problem outright for your core customer base. Want to see those abandoned carts vanish?  Think mobile-first. 💪🏽