Mobile First = Content First.
I often hear this mantra championed by Synecore’s in-resident web design diva, Jacey Gulden. It’s one of those profound phrases that instantly resonates with you when you hear it, even if you’re not fully sure what it means; a pithy aphorism you wish you had a few months to chew on while trekking across the Himalayas; something vaguely reminiscent of the wise utterances imparted by blind Master Po to a young David Carradine on Kung Fu…you get the picture.
Even though I’m still wrapping my head around all the nuances of “mobile first = content first,” I believe the phrase aptly reflects an important new reality for businesses and marketers that can be understood as a two-part equation: the massive consumer adoption of mobile devices requires companies (1) take a mobile-first approach to website design, which in turn implies they (2) take a content-first approach that focuses on content structure, navigation, and user experience.
Here’s how the second part of this equation breaks down:
Content Structure – both the type of content (written, video, audio, images) and its objective (i.e. promotional, informational, entertaining; TOFU, MOFU, BOFU)
Content Navigation – refers to the way the content is laid out on the site. This should be approached from the user’s perspective.