mo•bile—noun. Communication technology in a take-out container.

This is a declaration of Domain7’s approach to developing websites and applications for smartphones, tablets and anything else that puts the web in the palm of your hand. It’s just a simple set of principles we use in our approach to mobile:

1. Mobile is no longer optional

   You can’t ignore it anymore. If you don’t have a mobile optimized site, you’ve already been left behind. Mobile browser traffic is set to overtake desktop traffic in 2014. In many communities and demographics, smartphones are the ONLY browser users will access. You can no longer deliver a subpar user experience to these users.

   “[The shift to mobile design] is even bigger than the PC revolution.”

   Kevin Lynch, CTO, Adobe

2. Mobile must be strategic

   It’s not enough to have a mobile site. The content and experience of your mobile platform must strategically consider users-on-the-go. In other words, no web strategy is complete without mobile strategy. We’ll start with market research with an eye to the future so you don’t have to be on top of the latest web trends. It means you can make smart decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

3. We choose mobile web over device apps

   We will champion web-based tools over platform-specific mobile apps. While we recognize distinct cases in which access to a device’s hardware or data may call for apps, we believe the web is almost always the best starting place. It’s a cost-effective testing ground that clarifies the core value of any future native web app. It’s quicker, findable, searchable and works on more devices right out of the gate.

4. We will prioritize responsive design

   Our designs will automatically adjust to your device, accommodating the constraints and opportunities of each. But whenever possible, content for each device will come from the the same URL with the same HTML, rendered strategically to give an optimal experience for any device. This approach is known as Responsive Web Design (RWD). Not only is this approach efficient and effective, Google has openly stated it favours responsive sites in search results.

5. We will choose plaintext and indexable content and source code whenever possible

   Mobile content should be findable, searchable and shareable. That’s why we choose to expose mobile app content as plain old HTML-indexable by search engines—whenever possible. This means we tend to avoid “app stores” (which we think of as exclusive “walled gardens”—the opposite of openness). When coding we prefer simple, natural and expressive languages—keeping our code in “plaintext”. It means almost anyone can analyze, write and extend systems. It unlocks massive amounts of data on the web so almost anyone can use it for the good of webkind.

6. Message first

   Before any mobile considerations are made, we believe it’s most important to know what you’re saying, who you are saying it to, and what you hope they will do. “Being there” is not valuable unless you know why you’re there and what you can contribute.