Responsive design is often treated as a checkbox: the site “works on mobile”. But working and being usable are different things, especially on a mid-range Android phone on a slow connection.
The phone is the first screen
Start with the smallest screen and the slowest connection. If the page takes ten seconds to become useful, the desktop layout is irrelevant.
That means compressing images, reducing third-party scripts, and designing a first screen that answers the visitor’s question before it asks them to scroll.
Type and touch are design decisions
Body copy below 16px is a reading tax. Tap targets below 44px are a usability tax. Both are usually introduced by designers who only tested on a laptop.
Responsive is not a smaller version of the desktop page. It is a different reading order, a different hierarchy and a different set of priorities.
Test the real thing
Use a mid-range Android device, not just a browser resized to 390px. Watch someone use it with one hand. The problems you see will be more useful than any device screenshot.
Co-founder and digital strategist at InsightDrive. Writes about the decisions behind websites that work.