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Designing for Mobile First

There are 1.2 billion mobile web users worldwide, and 25% of these users access the Web solely through mobile.  

What this means is that many users will only see the mobile version of your site.  There is no doubt that the desktop is still an important medium
for Web access, but starting with the design of a mobile website first will ultimately make an even better desktop version.  

The key behind this new trend is the difference between Gradual Degradation and Progressive Enhancement.  Web designers have historically created
the desktop version of a website before anything else, loading it with elaborate detail, complex content, and awe-inspiring graphics.  Only after
is the website optimized for smaller devices.  To do so, features from the desktop version must be removed so that the website can fit within
the smaller platform of these mobile and tablet devices.  The Gradual Degradation approach focuses on the degradation of a website’s value as
content is increasingly watered down in moving from larger to smaller platforms.  The mobile-version consequently looks and feels like an afterthought,
and the end result is less than impressive.

On the other hand, Progressive Enhancement is just the opposite and proves that designing with a mobile-first approach ultimately leads to an even better
end result.  In designing for mobile first, content is created with greater constraints and capacity limits in mind.  You put your best foot
forward in creating more limited content for a mobile website that still looks great on a small screen and functions perfectly.  Then, when moving
to larger platforms, you can add bigger and better features to elaborate upon the mobile-version basics and create a to-die-for desktop-optimized website. 
Creating a mobile-optimized website from only the most vital aspects of a brand creates a faster mobile web experience as well as easier navigation,
and allows you to create even more robust, feature-filled tablet and desktop versions.