25 Mobile Site Design Principles from a Google Research Study

Below is a summary of the article What Makes a Good Mobile Site? which uncovers 25 mobile site design principles, grouped into five categories:

Home page and site navigation
- Keep calls to action front and center
- Keep menus short and sweet
- Make it easy to get back to the home page
- Don't let promotions steal the show

Site search
- Make site search visible
- Ensure site search results are relevant
- Implement filters to narrow results
- Guide users to better site search results

Commerce and conversion
- Let users explore before they commit
- Let users purchase as guests
- Use existing information to maximize convenience
- Use click-to-call buttons for complex tasks
- Make it easy to finish on another device

Form entry
- Streamline information entry
- Choose the simplest input
- Provide visual calendar for date selection
- Minimize form errors with labeling and real-time validation
- Design efficient forms

Usability and form factor
- Optimize your entire site for mobile
- Don't make users pinch-to-zoom
- Make product images expandable
- Tell users which orientation works best
- Keep your user in a single browser window
- Avoid "full site" labeling
- Be clear why you need a user's location