Mobile web design is no easy feat. This is why if you are hiring people to do it you should be able to communicate what exactly it is that you want. To give you an idea, below are some things to consider when thinking about your mobile web design.
Define What Your Mobile Site is for
Mobile sites usually come about from three situations. Sometimes, it’s a completely new website and both the desktop site and mobile site need to be developed. Or it could be that a desktop site is being relaunched along with a completely new mobile optimized website. It could also be just a redesign of an existing desktop site to become more mobile friendly. Whichever it is, the purpose of your mobile site should be well-defined because it will influence all the decisions you make regarding your website.
Make Your Web Site Simple without Compromising Design
Load times are crucial for websites, especially for those that are mobile optimized. Wireless connections have become a whole lot faster than they used to be but they still are relatively slower and more inconsistent than a wired connection. For this reason it is important to design simple websites with smaller images etc. in order to keep load times down.
This doesn’t mean however that design should be compromised. A well designed website clearly has a lot of advantage over others that are more basic in nature. The key is to find a happy balance between awesome web design and practicality.
Consider a Single-column Layout
You can notice one desktop websites that links and call to action buttons tend to be all over the screen. This is fine especially when done in an organized manner but this type of design isn’t that ideal for mobile websites. A single-column layout is much more preferable. It is simple, easy to use, maximizes whatever small space you have on a phone screen and makes important links easier to spot.
Typefaces
You wouldn’t think it was important but not all fonts are made to be used online especially in the mobile format where the letters tend to be rather tiny. Sans Serif fonts tend to be much easier to read online. Sans serif fonts are defined as type fonts that look quite contemporary but with decorative finishes. Sticking to fonts like this instead of experimenting with fancier ones for the sake of design will make your mobile website that much easier to navigate.
Thinking in Color
A well-thought out color scheme can go a long way in mobile websites. Good mobile web design should take colors and what they mean into consideration. Different colors communicate different things and the color scheme of your website could say a lot of different things about your website and your company. Ideally, you would choose a color scheme that is similar to your company logo or a color you would like your company to be associated with. Another thing to consider would be how these colors translate into your mobile website. Will they make fonts a lot harder to read? Will these colors make it hard for other users to use your website?