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CSS CSS Basics (2014) Enhancing the Design With CSS Adjusting the Layout with Media Queries

Leandro Severino
Leandro Severino
12,674 Points
Posted by Leandro Severino
Leandro Severino
12,674 Points

Why not use the mobile-first approach in this course?

I thought that it would be best to work on the mobile design first. Css Basics course didn't follow that approach. I was actually hoping I can learn that approach here and get some tips. Maybe there is a very good reason for that?

Rich Barker
Rich Barker
7,832 Points
Rich Barker
Rich Barker
7,832 Points

They will address the mobile first approach as you progress.

Graeme Oxley
Graeme Oxley
8,931 Points
Graeme Oxley
Graeme Oxley
8,931 Points

I could be misunderstanding the issue here, but why not simply do both? I design automotive dealership websites for a living and admittedly we do responsive design from the desktop down, however when I go to make adjustments for mobile there is no reason to think that mobile is getting the short-end.

We replace the main nav with a typical hamburger. Inventory filters get hidden off screen with a reveal button fixed on screen. The homepage goes from a mostly 3-4 column layout to a single column layout. For all intents and purposes, it is designed for mobile (while also being designed for tablet and desktop in their respective sizes).

And of course time is not really a factor. The responsiveness portion of my process only takes roughly 2 hours depending on how much content the client wants in the header.

4 Answers

Neil Anuskiewicz
Neil Anuskiewicz
11,007 Points
Neil Anuskiewicz
Neil Anuskiewicz
11,007 Points

I'm no expert but I do know that there's no consensus that mobile first is the optimal strategy. Here's an article I found explaining some of the reasons why you should ditch mobile first and put people first..

And further searching found arguments for both sides but maybe mobile first is outdated already? I don't know.

Leandro Severino
Leandro Severino
12,674 Points
Leandro Severino
Leandro Severino
12,674 Points

Thanks for the info. If I am not mistaken, Google uses the mobile first approach and through research, I think it has very good advantages. Let's see, I'll just have to try that out myself later on first. I will go and check the link you had provided too. I appreciate it. :)

Neil Anuskiewicz
Neil Anuskiewicz
11,007 Points
Neil Anuskiewicz
Neil Anuskiewicz
11,007 Points

Leandro, I have to admit I'm messing with you a bit, in a good natured way, by posting this article quoting a Google executive saying Mobile First is Dead. I pulled a couple quotes from the article:

“If you’re just focusing on mobile, you’re solving yesterday’s problems.” “90% of consumers start a task on one device and finish it on another.”

It's easy to find strong statements advocating both sides. Whenever I see that sort of dynamic, I'm always a bit skeptical. I suspect that there's no right answer to this question that covers all applications and audiences. I look forward to learning more.

Neil Anuskiewicz
Neil Anuskiewicz
11,007 Points
Neil Anuskiewicz
Neil Anuskiewicz
11,007 Points

Leandro, I wasn't advocating for or against but just noting that there are different views. I don't have enough knowledge to have an opinion but I try to have an open mind. The tech world moves very fast.

Leandro Severino
Leandro Severino
12,674 Points
Leandro Severino
Leandro Severino
12,674 Points

lol. It is not the same as the "mobile-first approach" in development we are talking about if you understand what he means. We are referring here to Responsive web design. Changes to the layout based on the screen size. If you check google's responsive web design tutorials which are updated, you will see they are still using this approach. Anyway, I don't understand why you would still want post another comment even if I didn't mind your previous comment. We should focus on building our skills. You can check this link btw:

Responsive web design basics

Neil Anuskiewicz
Neil Anuskiewicz
11,007 Points
Neil Anuskiewicz
Neil Anuskiewicz
11,007 Points

Leandra, I apologize if I offended you. I do understand we're talking about responsive design. I posted the quotes from google exec only to point out that there's disagreement on the topic. Some discussion can be useful and even fun but I took it too far. I'm sorry about that. You're right, we should focus on building skills, and I'm going to do just that.