[INFOGRAPHIC] Understanding the Value of Mobile-First WordPress Theme
With rapid technological development, the way we interact with the Internet has changed drastically. Today, we can access Internet on the go from the devices that can fit in the palm of our hands, or even on our wrists.
Tomorrow… who knows?
All data point to the need of focusing on individual users and adapting everything for their optimal user-experience. This shift is recognized as “The internet of ME” and signifies the point in time when individual users are no longer adapting to the Internet; Internet is being shaped for their needs instead.
Tracking algorithms follow our online habits and allow tech giants like Facebook, Amazon or Netflix to provide us with deeply personal and self-determined online experiences. But this is not something we expect from them exclusively; we want relevant and timely interactions with all Internet players.
Optimize Your Website for User’s Viewing Pleasure
Research shows that 80% of users are accessing Internet via their smartphones. Almost 50% of users are using tablets and 9% are using smartwatches.
Never to be the one to lag behind trends, in late 2014 Google introduced the latest addition to its search engine results pages – mobile friendly labels. As a result, mobile-friendly websites will be labeled as such on Google search results and will be assigned a higher ranking.
However, having your websites optimized for mobile is not enough. It’s time to flip the process on its head. Instead of starting with a “full-size” site and working your way down, go mobile first and then adapt for other devices.
Progressive Enhancement – Buzzword or an idea Worth Merit?
Why flip the process?
Your sparkling desktop website usually has features that cannot be scaled down to mobile and the end version ends up looking like leftovers. Instead, what people advocate is something dubbed “progressive enhancement” – giving it your best when building a mobile platform and gradually enhancing the product when scaling up. It requires going from a desktop-centric approach to a mobile-first approach.
When a team designs mobile first, the end result is an experience focused on the key tasks users want to accomplish without the extraneous detours and general interface debris that litter today’s desktop-accessed Web sites.
While the latter can be a challenging process, WordPress community is here to help with its mobile-first WP themes. Check out our infographic to learn more about them.
