Original subtitles

We've started thinking about designing across platforms.

Now, it's time to learn how

users engage with different devices.

First, we'll discuss user behavior

on mobile phones and desktop computers.

Then we'll move on to design

considerations when designing for mobile devices.

Let's start with an overview of the current landscape.

There's a big difference in the amount of time users

spend on mobile phones compared to desktop computers.

An average mobile session is 72 seconds,

while the average desktop session is 150 seconds,

more than twice as long.

Why is this important?

Because it tells us that people use

different devices in different ways.

Mobile users tend to be

goal-oriented, and they are

focused on completing a single task.

On mobile phones, gestures like tapping and

swiping help users move around the screen.

Test this out for yourself.

Next time you're using a mobile phone,

think about your own behaviors.

Remember the Next Billion Users we discussed earlier?

As those users come online,

they're mostly accessing the internet

from mobile devices.

This means the amount of desktop web traffic

compared to mobile web traffic will continue to shift.

It's important for UX designers to consider

mobile users' connectivity limitations,

like slower processing speeds

and longer load times.

To be inclusive, we need to

design for all types of phones,

whether they cost $50 or $500.

Users interact with devices in different ways.

Now, let's go through the design differences we

need to consider based on

the devices we're designing for.

First, let's talk about responsiveness.

In the past, most mobile websites

were a mini version of the desktop site,

which often made the mobile websites difficult to use.

Now, almost all websites use responsive web design.

Responsive web design allows a website to change

automatically depending on the size of the device.

For example, a website homepage might have

multiple columns when a user

experiences it on a desktop computer.

With responsive web design,

when a user visits the same website on a mobile phone,

the multiple columns are automatically condensed

into one column to better fit a smaller screen.

All the content is still there and

the usability is way better.

Internet browsing on desktop computers has

been around for longer than on mobile devices.

But since mobile device usage has been booming,

designers have had to start

focusing on designing for mobile.

Let's think about a few best practices

when designing for mobile user experiences.

First, call-to-action buttons should

be placed front and center,

allowing the user to easily complete the desired task,

like joining an email list

or adding an item to their shopping cart.

Second, navigation menus should be short and simple.

We want to simplify the user experience on mobile.

So menu options should only

highlight the core functions of the product.

Third, use gestures that users already do,

like tapping and swiping.

Gestures should be intuitive and familiar to users.

Fourth, design for both directions

a phone might be held.

We need to consider the vertical portrait view

of a mobile phone

and the horizontal landscape view.

We want users to have

an effective experience no

matter how they hold their phone.

Fifth, reduce visual clutter.

Mobile phones have smaller screen sizes,

so it's important to keep the visual experience simple.

Phew! That was a lot of new information to take in.

Remember this main takeaway: users

behave differently depending on their device.

UX designers help make

that transition happen as seamlessly as possible.

It's a big responsibility,

but a lot of fun too.

Up next, Shabi will be back to talk to you

about designing responsively to meet users' needs.