Submitted by Jordan on
Several recent articles have "warned" against a "mobile first" strategy, describing it as risky at best. But, see, "mobile first" isn't supposed to be a strategy. It's supposed to be a tactic.
Here's where my degree in Political Science comes out: there is a difference between strategy and tactics, and it's important that you know that. Simply put: Strategy is "When I am hungry, I need to eat." The goal is to remain fed on a perpetual basis. Sometimes other things are more important (like sleep), but you need to know when food is the most important thing, and more importantly, you need to know that sometimes food is, in fact, the most important thing. Tactics is "There's a McDonalds. I'll eat there. Then I won't be hungry any more." I'm not saying that's a good tactic, but it will help you achieve your long term strategy. Hitting the vending machine is a bad tactic because it won't help you achieve your strategy as effectively as a restaurant will.
Put another way: strategy is your long term goal; tactics is how you achieve your strategy.
There are a lot of articles praising "mobile first," and a lot of articles criticizing it, and it seems like they are talking past each other. The articles in favor all talk about mobile device adoption rates and how your viewers are likely to visit your site on a mobile device, and how it makes sense to build a mobile-friendly site first and then expand to a desktop-friendly layout. The articles against talk about mobile applications. That's not the same thing.
The truth is: both sides are right. You shouldn't start with a mobile app. You should start with a website. But that website should be designed mobile-first. A website is the only delivery method that is 100% cross platform. Even your television can view it (probably). But at the same time, if your website isn't mobile friendly, then you are intentionally denying yourself a whole swath of the marketplace. And if your website is going to be mobile-friendly, it's a much better idea to design the mobile site first. Trust me.
That's what mobile first means. Build a website before an app, make sure your website is mobile friendly, and do that first.
(Unemployed in Greenland)