Best Practices
- Use legible font sizes, line heights, and adequate contrast for small screens.
- Help people concentrate on primary tasks and content by limiting the number of onscreen controls while making secondary details and actions discoverable with minimal interaction.
- Use tab navigation to simplify movement within the app.
- Ensure layouts adjust smoothly to various screen sizes and orientations.
- Design for vertical scrolling rather than horizontal, as it’s more natural on mobile.
Mobile Constraints
Screen Size
- Small viewport: Limited screen real estate
- Portrait orientation: Vertical layout considerations
- Thumb navigation: One-handed operation
- Content priority: Most important content first
Touch Interactions
- Touch targets: Minimum 44px for touch areas
- Gesture support: Swipe, pinch, tap interactions
- Hover states: Not available on touch devices
- Focus management: Keyboard and screen reader support
Performance and Loading State
- App should load quickly (<2s for main views)
- Minimize spinners
- Handle errors gracefully
Testing Mobile Experience
- Real devices: Test on actual mobile devices
- Different screen sizes: Various phone and tablet sizes
- Different orientations: Portrait and landscape
- Touch interactions: Verify touch targets work
Tools and Resources
- Chrome DevTools: Mobile device simulation
- Real devices: Physical device testing
- Performance tools: GTmetrix, Pingdom