The mobile-first approach to User Interface Design

UI design is increasingly going in the direction of a “mobile first” philosophy: where the interface is designed for mobile applications first, and desktop second. With the rise in use of mobile devices, having your user interface system function on as many platforms as possible is a must.

One benefit of having a mobile-first design approach is that progressive enhancement starts from a point of simplifying the functions of the UI system to its most basic and necessary features. It then becomes much easier to add functionality to the desktop version of your interface than to figure out what to remove from the existing desktop UI while still providing the same user experience on a mobile device.