UX Foundations: Multidevice Design

2/8/19

Author: Diane Cronenwett

• Designing for multiple devices can be a very complex undertaking. But there are a few different strategies you can employ depending on the needs of your specific project and the needs of your users and the form factors that you’re working with.
• Some key principles to consider before approaching your multidevice project are design for people first. Understanding your users’ tasks and goals are primary when designing for devices.
• Content can be delivered on any device, but some devices are better suited for particular tasks. To better understand how you’re going to design for a multi-device scenario you’ll need to understand the user, the tasks they want to complete, and any environmental constraints.
• Understanding the context of use is important for any design project, but it’s especially critical for designing a multi-device experience.
• Responsive design is a web-based approach to designing and developing your website so that content is delivered to any device, size, or orientation. Responsive design does not take into account TV layouts or watches as of yet. More specifically, responsive web design refers to a similar or the same web experience between desktop, tablet, and smartphone.
• When thinking about your multi-device design project understanding the underlying technology is helpful when starting to define your design.
• Hybrid applications take an approach to app development that includes a mix of using web-based technologies and native technologies or interactions.
• As a designer, you’ll want to note the limitations and capabilities are of the technologies being used and try to incorporate as much of that native feel as possible in the design depending on the platform.
• Depending on what you’re designing, you may have multiple screens and devices that you have to support. As designers, we have to be aware of the various screen sizes, but we won’t be designing for every single device.
• Designs viewable on mobile, tablet, and desktop, regardless of whether your app is responsive, native, or hybrid, will need to employ a mobile-first design and make some choices about the core set of tasks the user will be performing in the experience.
• Creating the IA and the navigation model are important for experiences to scale across devices so that users understand how to navigate through your apps.

1. I already know that it’s important to think about your design as a whole. I already know that when you are designing, you need to know who you are designing for you. I already know that when designing for multi-device use, apply consistent branding throughout all devices.
2. I learned some key principles to consider before approaching your multidevice project are design for people first. Understanding your users’ tasks and goals are primary when designing for devices. I learned that responsive design is a web-based approach to designing and developing your website so that content is delivered to any device, size, or orientation. I learned that knowing if the design is going to be native will help you as a designer to formulate your design using the existing platform paradigms.
3. I would like to learn more about responsive design and how to apply it well in my website.