The World Economic Forum reported that by April 2023, there were more mobile phones than people by approximately 0.63 billion. As these devices become more popular, most consumers continue to show shifting preferences in their online shopping journeys, with most now preferring to research, socialize and game through mobile phones.
In support, OuterBox found that over 79% of smartphone users had purchased online using their devices. Having a website optimized for mobile users has, therefore, become a necessity for the success of online businesses.
Examples of Industries
With Linearity suggesting that sites not tailored for mobile can have a 60% bounce rate, many businesses are turning to adaptive designs to enhance their competitiveness. Adaptive web design involves creating websites that seamlessly adapt and respond to various devices and screen sizes. The website detects the user’s device characteristics and then serves the appropriate layout optimized for that specific device.
In entertainment sectors like iGaming, we continue to see a growing trend of mobile-optimized sites as the need for mobile gaming soars. Game providers are also ensuring that players can access different game titles in the form of game apps on multiple devices. For example, games like Slingo at Paddy Power can now be conveniently accessed through phones and tablets regardless of whether they’re Android or iOS.
The Power of Adaptive Designs
By creating multiple website versions for different devices, adaptive designs ensure users have unique experiences. This enhances user engagement and lowers bounce rates, unlike single static designs where pages load the same on all devices. Users can also enjoy faster page load times and enhanced navigation because only layouts best suited for specific devices are displayed.
Enhancing navigation is a plus for online businesses, especially now that over 94% of customers rank website navigation as their top priority. Easily navigable sites can encourage visitors to spend more time on a website, which can result in higher conversions. Similarly, improving load times increases user engagement, as most mobile users (85%) want websites that load quickly on their devices.
Adaptive designs are cost-effective because they eliminate the need to create multiple websites. They are also a convenient way of monetizing your websites with ads. By optimizing advertising options, you eliminate the need to change or replace the ratio of banners in the case of smaller screen resolutions.
The Mobile First Approach
Inspired by the rapid spread of mobile devices, adaptive web designers are now prioritizing mobile devices over their desktop counterparts. Traditionally, designers would create websites with the assumption that they would be predominantly accessed through desktops. The mobile-first approach is content-centric as it encourages designers to concentrate on product details that allow for neat and practical designs on multiple devices.
Source: Pexels
With its focus on simplicity and usability, the mobile-first approach can be a great way of improving user experience. Priority is placed on essential content, which results in more visually appealing interfaces. With Sonary showing that over 64% of users prefer visually appealing sites, the mobile-first approach can enhance conversions. There are SEO benefits to enjoy, as search engines like Google favor mobile-friendly sites. By increasing visibility and organic traffic, businesses improve their chances of increasing conversion rates.
The consistency of adaptable designs across different devices can improve brand credibility. Stanford University discovered that up to 75% of customers perceived a company’s credibility by considering the web design. As more customers trust your brand because of the consistent experiences they receive, it can result in greater revenues. GaggleAMP reported that up to 46% of buyers were willing to spend more at a business they trusted, while 81% said a brand’s credibility greatly influenced their purchase behavior.
Implementing Adaptive Designs
Implementing adaptive designs begins with defining your breakpoints, such as desktops, smartphones, and tablets. These points will be determined by the predominant way in which users consume your products. For example, XStak highlighted that over 87% of grocery shoppers use mobile devices for online shopping. If you operate in such an industry, then using mobile devices as your breakpoint may be more convenient.
After defining the breakpoints, you can create several layouts for each breakpoint, such as wireframes, mockups, etc. This approach allows for more precise control over the user experience on different devices, although it may require more development effort to maintain multiple layouts. Whichever approach is chosen, thorough testing across various devices and screen sizes will be necessary to ensure a seamless user experience.
Considering factors like device capabilities, network conditions, and user preferences can further enhance adaptiveness. Techniques such as lazy loading, conditional loading of resources, and optimizing performance can help improve the website’s speed, especially on mobile devices with limited resources.
When to Use Adaptive Designs
Adaptive designs might be convenient for businesses with complex existing websites that are tough to maintain. These designs make the complex designs more user-friendly, enhancing engagement levels. For speed-dependent sites, adaptive designs can reduce the amount of CSS and JavaScript needed to render the page, increasing load times.
For organizations with limited resources or tight deadlines, adaptive designs may offer a more practical solution than fully responsive designs, as they require less extensive testing and optimization across a wide range of devices. This can be especially relevant for smaller businesses or startups looking to establish an online presence quickly.
In contexts like online entertainment, where users access a website in diverse contexts, such as on the go or in more controlled environments, adaptiveness is beneficial. Tailoring the experience to each context ensures usability and relevance.
Real-Life Scenarios
Amazon, an online retail giant, implements adaptiveness across its websites to deliver consistent UX to its customers, allowing them to seamlessly switch from appview to full site view. A report by BrowserStack showed that the company increased its access speed by 40% by adopting an adaptive website.
Avenue 32 collaborates with Usablenet to create seamless customer experiences as they interact with their websites. A 2017 report showed that the company increased the orders placed through smartphones by over 40%, with average mobile transactions increasing by 27%. Other retail giants leveraging adaptable designs include Apple, USA Today, etc.
In summary, as adaptive designs promise to enhance competitiveness, we expect more businesses to continue adopting them to attract and retain more customers.