The document
Score your phone experience against the checks that decide whether people stay
Mobile is not a smaller desktop. It is one-handed, thumb-driven, and judged in a few seconds, so the scorecard tests the things that behave differently on a phone rather than re-testing the desktop design.
Thumb-zone mapping, the 44 pixel tap-target test, mobile-first indexing checks and a four-fix conversion stack you can ship in a week.
What is inside
Six sections, from reach zones to the conversion stack
Each section is something you can check on your own phone in a few minutes, with a target rather than an opinion.
The mobile overview
Why a phone is a different interaction model rather than a smaller screen, and what that changes about layout.
The thumb zone
Natural, stretching and out-of-reach zones, and where a “Call now” or “Get quote” button has to sit to be effortless.
The 44 pixel test
The minimum tappable size, the eight pixel spacing rule, and how to test by thumb rather than by cursor.
Mobile-first indexing
Google ranks the mobile version of your site, so mobile problems are search problems rather than just experience problems.
A worked case study
A mobile-first rebuild that moved a school from page three to page one, with sessions up 162 percent and applications up 45, without ad spend.
The conversion stack
Four fixes mapped to measurable levers, each shippable in days rather than quarters.
A few of the fixes
Six checks you can run on your own phone
Pick your phone up and work down the list. Each one takes under a minute.
The numbers behind it
What the research says
Before you ask
Questions people send us about this one
What is a mobile UX audit?
A scored check of the phone experience against thumb reach, tap-target size, mobile-first indexing and readability. It matters because Google ranks the mobile version of your site, and because a large majority of people say a poor mobile experience stops them returning.
What is the thumb zone?
The reach map of a one-handed phone user. The bottom third is the natural zone where primary actions belong, the middle band takes a small stretch and suits secondary actions, and the top corners need a second hand.
How big should tap targets be?
Both Apple’s and Google’s guidelines put the minimum at 44 by 44 pixels, measured by the tappable area rather than the icon you can see. Leave at least eight pixels between targets so a near miss does not fire the wrong action.
Does mobile experience affect search?
Directly. Google uses mobile-first indexing, so the mobile version is what gets crawled and ranked. The desktop site being excellent does not compensate for the mobile one being hard to use.
