Federal websites and digital services should be available, accessible, and usable on a wide range of devices and platforms. The majority of the public accesses online information and services from mobile devices according to analytics.usa.gov.

It is important to design mobile-friendly and device-agnostic websites and digital services. Learn more about the requirements for delivering a digital-first public experience to understand the policy framework in 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act and OMB Memo M-23-22.

The principles

In 2017, Digital.gov’s Mobile community of practice tested the top federal websites most visited on mobile devices (smartphones and tablets). The results of the automated tests showed us that a few common practices greatly affect the usability of a site on a mobile device.

Building on the test results, we examined the automated testing tools themselves. During this review, we found there are eight principles of mobile-friendliness. And if you follow them, they will make your site more usable and user-friendly.

Use these eight principles improve the mobile-friendliness of your sites.