Is it better to style for mobile-first in Webflow if most of my users are viewing my website on mobile devices, or is it easier to design on desktop and create responsive layouts for mobile? What are people's thoughts on this?
TL;DR
- Design desktop-first in Webflow due to its UI and cascading structure, but prioritize mobile usability by testing breakpoints and focusing on essential content early.
- Although mobile-first is ideal for user experience, Webflow’s tools and default workflows make desktop-first more practical.
Choosing between designing mobile-first or desktop-first in Webflow depends on your audience and workflow preferences. Since most of your users are on mobile, a mobile-first design approach may be more beneficial.
1. Mobile-First Design: Advantages in Webflow
- User-Focused: Starts from the smallest screen, ensuring that your design will work well for your largest user base first.
- Content Prioritization: Forces you to prioritize essential content and features due to limited screen space.
- More Efficient Scaling Up: It's generally easier to add layout complexity going up (mobile → tablet → desktop) than simplifying complex layouts down.
2. Desktop-First Design: Why It’s the Default in Webflow
- Visual Workspace: Webflow’s Designer UI is optimized for desktop viewports, making it easier to position elements and manage spacing visually.
- Default Breakpoint: Webflow starts design at the Base (desktop) breakpoint. Mobile styles cascade down, which means changes here affect all smaller breakpoints unless overridden.
- Design Workflow Efficiency: For many users, it’s faster to design a full layout then remove or adjust features for smaller screens.
3. Community Insights and Best Practices
- Designers targeting mobile-first users often still design desktop-first in Webflow due to its current UI and cascade structure, then immediately check and adjust layouts on mobile breakpoints.
- Webflow doesn’t allow setting a smaller breakpoint as the base, so true mobile-first cascading isn’t fully supported.
- Many Webflow experts recommend designing with mobile users in mind, regardless of whether you build on the desktop breakpoint.
Summary
Although your audience is mobile, it's typically easier to design desktop-first in Webflow due to its UI and cascading rules. However, you should keep mobile usability as your priority by constantly testing breakpoints and prioritizing essential elements from the start.