Three ways that mobile browsing has changed website design

Mobile browsing officially became the most popular way for users to access the web nearly three years ago, a switch that became one of the most critical moments in internet history.

The shift to mobile was a long time coming. Some had predicted mobile would become dominant as early as 2014, but when it happened, there was clearly no way back. Mobile continues to be the most-used method of accessing the internet, and in their effort to reflect user preferences, website designers have had to adapt, using the following, among others, in this effort:

Better navigation

For the most part, the early years of website navigation were based on text links, which were easy to integrate and – on a desktop – relatively straightforward to use. However, while text links served their purpose, they are undeniably fiddly to use on mobile devices.

As a result, more and more websites began to utilize well-organized, easily-clicked menus to organize their sections. The change was now adapted, and now even content-rich sites such as TheAtlantic.com can use menus to create a seamless, intuitive browsing experience regardless of the device being used.

The return of scrolling

Once upon a time, a website that required relatively little scrolling to use was the norm; a single, static page, with as much information displayed as possible, was considered the very height of design elegance. When accessing a website via desktop computer, a single page makes sense; the information spreads evenly, and users can click on their specific choice.

However, as mobile devices are smaller – and the act of scrolling is thus far simpler and more comfortable than it is on a desktop – the need for large, static, all-in-one website pages soon diminished. To reflect this, sites have changed their designs to not only make scrolling an option again, but to make scrolling the preferable choice – leading to a vastly improved mobile viewing experience.

The removal of unnecessary graphics

Around ten years ago, the vast majority of website design used graphics in abundance, both as part of the overall design and on the page. The use of heavy graphics meant that websites looked incredibly stylish and modern, which was considered a major priority at the time.

Unfortunately, heavy graphics come at a high cost to mobile users who are browsing via data rather than Wifi. Understanding this issue, the design trends started to change, and websites such as Slotathon.com prefer a far more stripped back, clean approach; if an image is essential to the user, then it’s displayed, but all unnecessary images are completely removed. Thanks to this change, mobile users can now browse the internet in comfort, without having to worry about making a heavy dent in their data plan just to view a single site.

As the changes demonstrate, website design has changed hugely due to the user preference for mobile browsing – and there are, no doubt, more changes to come in future, as the way we interact with and use the internet continues to evolve.