Web designing continues to evolve each year and with it, the emphasis on mobile-friendly websites. Google leads this push for mobile usability, although some feel this has created a major problem that is only just now becoming obvious. Due to the push for mobile-friendliness, many website design companies have adopted a protocol of designing for mobile-first or even worse mobile-only. While this may be suitable for some businesses, most would benefit more from what is being termed as journey-first design.
What Is Journey First Design?
Journey-first design is a concept that suggests web designing should be done according to the journey each user wants to take on a website as opposed to making the site mobile-first. Mobile-friendliness is still an important part of the journey-first idea; however, it is not the only consideration. A design that serves the individual user, regardless of which device used to access a website, is more productive for that user.
Taking this into account, the journey-first idea begins with website design companies first doing thorough research about what users want and need from a site, then designing according to the individual “journeys” they will take.
Why Is Journey-First Better Than Mobile-First?
The problem with mobile-first web designing is that it is a prohibitive extension of what was originally intended to be mobile-friendly design. Google has more than emphasized the value of mobile-friendliness and usability. Yet somewhere along the line, website design companies began taking this to mean mobile-only, losing desktop and laptop users in the shuffle.
Yet the fact remains that certain websites are used by audiences that still turn to a desktop or laptop first. Certain tasks these users want to accomplish are not so easily done on mobile. So while mobile-friendliness is definitely a quality that all websites want to have, not all should be mobile-first. Providing the best way to use a site should begin by considering how each audience is most likely to actually use the website in the first place.
How Is Journey-First Design Developed?
Since a journey-first approach can increase site effectiveness for some companies, it is best to begin the design process by visualizing the user and estimating the various things they need. Some tasks can be performed from a mobile page, while others may require desktop access. By mapping out the user’s different journeys according to the various tasks and monitoring user interaction with the site, web designing can be planned to effectively serve each user.
This map should include all parts of the website and the various ways users can access it. It should also indicate where they are likely to proceed from there and be able to generate the most effective options for each individual user.
There is no doubt that all websites now must be mobile-friendly to provide great function while pleasing Google’s search engines. Yet website design companies need to differentiate between mobile-friendliness and mobile-only, the latter of which can actually reduce site effectiveness. A journey-first approach, where web designing is planned according to how various audiences want to use a site, can be a much better alternative that achieves most website goals!
