The 2021 Mobile-Friendly Web Design Guide
Before we begin, answer this question honestly. Do you still use a desktop for surfing a website? More than 86% of people will surely answer, “Nah dude, I have my mobile for this.” This is 2021, c’mon, a whole new decade and if you’re still living under the misconception that people ACTUALLY use computers for scrolling through a website, you’re a Luddite.
Those days have been eradicated by innovations in the technology that we are imbibing with. The last decade brought a lot of technological advancements and innovations in the website designing industry. Considering the developments, Google amended its terms and gave a special boost to mobile-friendly websites. That’s a key reason why mobile website design trends sky-rocketed in the last quarter of 2020.
User engagement through mobile-oriented websites has become a necessity. If a website is mobile-friendly, it will definitely upsurge the conversion rates. Designers of today must embrace new changes and not denigrate them. A majority of businesses are now happening through mobiles since the Covid-19 pandemic made us utilize technology appropriately. Let’s sneak into the new guide for mobile-friendly web designs in 2021.
- Simplified Navigation
The prime rule of a mobile-amicable website design is smooth navigation. Be it the hamburger menu or traditional icons placed at footer of the webpage, the key aim is to ensure that no user finds it inconvenient to navigate through the site and find what they are looking for. If the website has a perplexing navigation structure, it clearly means that searching for something would be like dodging a bullet. Although you might integrate fewer graphics, but simplifying navigation will surely eliminate 20% of the hassle.
- Background & Theme
Every website designer wants to integrate an eye-catchy theme and ‘cool’ background in a mobile-first website. That’s fine but the Bible of Website Designing mentions the practices that are forbidden while creating mobile websites. It is essential to understand the necessity of maintaining professionalism while a mobile web design. Instead of removing the images, they can be diffused so that a user can focus on the web content and navigation. The best example is the UI of Samsung’s flagship mobile M31-S. Its intuitive UI diffuses and the user can easily focus on scrolling.
- Choose Right Colors
This is the weak point of a majority of web designers. By following the hot trends, many designers deploy a color palette that ends up in a blunder. First of all, not everything that glitters is gold. As a responsible website designer, it is essential to understand that every famous color scheme will not match every website design for mobiles. When people read on a mobile website, they tend to scroll faster. Hence, the color scheme should be integrated appropriately so that the reader doesn’t find it tough to read.
- Swipe Gestures
Responsiveness of the website holds importance in the eyes of Google. The features like a double tap for zoom in/zoom out, pinch to expand, long hold to delete etc., are commonly used. As a designer, you must be considerate of adding these features because most of the people are accustomed to its use.
- Animation Functionality
Adding animations on the website is a growing trend. As per a report, the last quarter of 2020 saw a rise in the inclusion of functional animations by 7%. This report clearly indicates that functional animations do have a glistening future. By adding them to the mobile website design, conveying the brand value becomes a cakewalk. Integrating animations is an interesting way to boost user engagement.
- Touch ID Security Feature
This is an innovation in the mobile website design features. Many ecommerce websites and e-wallets have started using the touch ID as a security feature. Using this feature, one can assure the top level of security on a device and login account. Touch ID usually includes the biometrics for allowing access for multifarious purposes and making online transactions is one of them.
The Red Flag
There are a lot of things that you should not add to your mobile website design. Always bedeck the mobile-first website with those features that actually lend a helping hand. Here’s something that shouldn’t be done:
- Access to Location
First of all, no mobile website design asks for location. It is a clear breach of privacy by the website if it asks for the location. Only the e-commerce apps, food delivery apps, and cab service apps can seek consent for accessing the user’s location.
- No Beta Tests
Beta testing is highly essential for every mobile website. It allows identifying the lacunae that arise while using different features. If the mobile web design lacks beta testing, there are more chances that it will turn out to be a failure.
- Notification Abuse
Never ever try to become over-amicable with clients. Being over-friendly brand is strongly discouraged, though being interactive is highly lauded. Let’s understand it with an example. Zomato and Swiggy are such two applications that keep bouncing over their special deals that aren’t interesting to all its users. Though it’s a sheer business for them, for a user it is utter nonsense.
Final Words
For a mobile-friendly website design, there’s nothing like rocket-science. Web designers just need to grab the crux of the matter, understand the purpose of the website, and integrate those features that have significance. When you’re done with the turf plan, execute it step-by-step for creating a mobile website design. Having the right knowledge will surely upsurge the mobile web design.
