100 points to know about...
Eco-Design Web Development

We can develop a successful wireframing structure for mobile-first design by following 6 steps:

1. Create an inventory of content

By writing down the content you think is essential for wireframing, you filter out unnecessary elements.
Please note! The aim is not to eliminate elements but to sort the content according to their level of priority into primary, secondary and tertiary.

2. Design according to visual hierarchy

Using the information from your inventory of content, determine how you're going to display your different elements based on their level of priority. Remember that the elements deemed 'primary' priority should be displayed more prominently on your website!

3. Keep it simple

Stuck on how to display your content now that you've weeded out the non-essential elements? Here are some design tips on the right presentation:

• Don't clutter your navigation menu with too many links.
• Regardless of the topic, use as few pages as possible to display content.
• Structure content into two columns at most.
• Stick to one font type and size for text (your best bet is a system font and font size 16pt for body text).
• Use white space to increase readability and decrease clutter.

Remember! It should not take more than 3 seconds to load your web page, as users are more likely to leave a website that takes longer to load. Keeping your design simple will reduce your website's loading time.

4. Be mindful of size

Since mobile-first design has to adapt to a smaller screen size, how big or small your elements are will impact the website's performance and the user experience. You will need to enlarge certain elements because human fingers are less precise than mouse cursors. Such is the case for buttons and interactive features that might appear smaller on desktops. However, bigger is not always better for other design elements! For example, when adding images, avoid those that are too large because they will not display properly.

5. Test on real devices

Once you've completed a beta-version of your design, the best way to determine whether it's usable or not is to see for yourself. Load the pages of your website from your mobile phone and those around you.
When doing so, ask yourself:

• Do the web pages load quickly?
• Is the most important content displayed first?
• Is the content (text and images) readable?
• Is there enough white space around elements?
• Are the interactive elements easily activated by touch?

6. Use your design as a base to go bigger

If you've followed the above-mentioned steps and are satisfied with how your website functions on mobile phones, congratulations: you've successfully created a sleek and sustainable design solution compatible with the smallest (and most frequently used) devices! Now you can start thinking 'bigger' and create the desktop version of your website by expanding and adding onto your design solutions.