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A simple way to think about mobile when you already have a web product

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Most products today start on the web and only later move to mobile. That’s normal.
What’s not normal is how often mobile is treated as “the same thing, just smaller.”

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It rarely works that way.

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Mobile is not a small website. It’s a different situation. Different habits. Different expectations. And very different reasons why people use it.

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If you already have a web experience and you’re planning a mobile one, UX research becomes the most important part of the process. Not to add more features — but to understand what actually belongs on mobile.

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What people really mean when they say “mobile”

When users say “I used it on my phone,” they could mean many things.

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Sometimes they mean:

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• A website opened in Safari or Chrome
• A native mobile app
• An app that suddenly opens a web page inside it

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Most people don’t notice or care about these differences. They only notice when something feels slow, confusing, or broken.

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That’s why mobile research should never start with channels.
It should start with real-life situations.

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People use mobile when:

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• They’re in a hurry
• They’re away from their computer
• They need to check something fast
• They want a quick answer, not a long journey

Understanding this context changes everything.

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What “parity with web” actually means in real life

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Teams often say they want “parity with web” on mobile.
But users don’t care about feature lists.

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For them, parity means one thing:
Can I get this done or not?

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If someone can easily complete a task on desktop but struggles on mobile, then mobile is failing — even if most features exist.

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This matters even more for serious services. If people can’t access important things on mobile, they start to lose trust. And once trust is gone, it’s very hard to win back.

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Mobile-first is about focus, not trends

Mobile-first doesn’t mean “mobile only.”
It means starting with what matters most.

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A small screen forces teams to make decisions:
• What is truly important?
• What can be removed?
• What can wait?

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It’s much easier to grow an experience later than to cut it down after everything is already built.

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Even when a web product already exists, thinking mobile-first helps bring clarity.

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Three simple ideas that guide good mobile experiences

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1. People come to mobile with a clear purpose

Mobile users usually want to do one thing — quickly.

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Research should help you understand:

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• What actions people do most often
• What feels urgent to them
• What they expect to find immediately

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If something isn’t useful in that moment, it probably doesn’t belong on mobile.

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2. Phones are used with hands, not just eyes

On mobile, design is physical.

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People:

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• Use one hand
• Get distracted
• Switch apps
• Stop and continue later

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Mobile research should pay attention to:

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• Button reach
• Gesture use
• Frustration points
• Moments where people pause or hesitate

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These details don’t show up in desktop research.

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3. Important actions should never have only one path

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Mobile use is unpredictable.

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Bad internet, low battery, interruptions — all of these are normal.

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For critical actions, mobile experiences should:

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• Offer clear alternatives
• Make recovery easy
• Allow people to continue later

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This is where mobile can either support users — or lose them.

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When mobile research is really needed

You don’t always need brand-new research. But you do need it when:

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• Context changes
• Environment changes
• Device behavior changes

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Mobile changes all three.

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What works well on desktop often breaks on a phone. Assuming otherwise is risky.

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Asking better questions in mobile research

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Instead of asking:
“Can users complete this task?”

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Try asking:

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• Can they do it quickly?
• Can they do it with one hand?
• Can they do it while distracted?
• Do they feel confident doing it on mobile?

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Mobile UX is about comfort, not just success.

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Choosing the right participants

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For mobile research, participants should:

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• Regularly use mobile apps
• Be comfortable doing real tasks on their phone
• Use mobile and web depending on the situation

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Someone who avoids mobile won’t give you useful insights about it.

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Testing on mobile: a small but important detail

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Whenever possible, let people test on their actual phones.

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How they hold the device, where their thumb reaches, how they react — these things matter.
They often explain more than words.

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What to listen for during sessions

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Be careful with phrases like:

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• “I do this on my phone”
• “I couldn’t find this on mobile”
• “It looks different here”

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Always ask follow-up questions.

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People often don’t know whether they were in an app or a browser. But that difference can explain many problems.

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Also remember: if something is too far down the screen, many users will never see it.

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Writing clear and useful research recommendations

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Good mobile recommendations are simple.

They answer:

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• What should mobile handle well?
• What should be done elsewhere?
• How should mobile support the bigger experience?

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Mobile works best when it feels intentional, not copied.

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A quiet closing thought

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Over time — in everyday work, team discussions, and industry panels — one thing becomes clear:

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Mobile experiences succeed when we stop treating them as smaller versions of web products, and start seeing them as moments in someone’s day.

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That shift changes how we research, design, and build.

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