Mobile-First vs Responsive Web Design: Why it matters in 2022

Everyone knows that websites must be adaptable to both large and small screens — the reason why almost all websites have a responsive design. In 2022 we will see mobile-first design gaining ground.

For those who haven’t come across these terms before, you might be wondering what is the buzz about these two terminologies: Mobile-first and Responsive web design? Knowing what they are could mean changing your digital strategy for 2022 based on what you know about your potential customers.

Before diving deeper into these concepts, let me present you with a couple of stats about the trends in web design and development. Take a look around you, if you are out in public, you will see most folks fixated on the little glowing screens of their smartphones.

Half of the world’s internet users (approximately 2 billion) browse their web through smartphones. Many of them might not even have a laptop, desktop, or even tablet.

Mobile usage vs desktop usage comparison also shows that 58% of online purchases happen on mobile devices. (Source: Merchant Savvy)

As the web has evolved, the last couple of years have seen us heading towards the mobile era of marketing.

Most users in the world are dependent on their mobile phones and so it becomes crucial for a business to know its audience. To ensure your business’s long-term success, you might need to design a website that is mobile-first and not just mobile-friendly. With that being said, it’s time to dig deeper into these 2 terms — believe me, they are very distinctive.

In simple terms, a responsive design means to design a website for the desktop first and then adjust it to smaller screens such as a mobile or tablet. This style of design became popular in 2015 when people still preferred their desktops rather than smartphones to browse the web.

It is beneficial for many businesses whose users access information mostly through desktops or laptops, to continue to design a website that is responsive rather than mobile-first.

Mobile-first design means designing the website for mobile devices first and then scaling it upward to fit the larger screens — it’s a progressive advancement. So that makes it exactly opposite to the design principle of responsive websites, which is also known as graceful degradation.

Read my original article about how to evaluate your target audience and know whether your website should be responsive or mobile-first.

Original article: https://itechindia.co/blog/mobile-first-vs-responsive-web-design/