mobile-web-ui

Mobile Web UI

Opinionated rules for mobile-first web. Full research context + citations: docs/research/2026-04-13-mobile-ui-best-practices.md.

Non-negotiables

• <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> — prevents iOS 300ms click delay
• 100dvh for true viewport (not 100vh — includes dynamic chrome)
• env(safe-area-inset-bottom) for home-indicator clearance
• prefers-reduced-motion honored for every non-essential animation (WCAG SC 2.3.3)

Touch targets (WCAG 2.2)

Standard	Size	Use as
WCAG 2.5.8 (AA minimum)	24×24 CSS px	Legal floor — not a design target
WCAG 2.5.5 (AAA enhanced)	44×44 CSS px	Working minimum
Material Design 3	48×48 dp	Preferred for Android-targeted web

Default: 44×44 px for tap targets. Full-width primary CTAs in the bottom 25–40% of viewport (natural thumb zone — NN/g: 96% tap accuracy vs 61% in stretch zone).

Color roles (Material 3)

Never hardcode hex. Use role tokens so dark mode + theming work.

• Semantic: on-surface, surface, outline, error
• Accent/Tint: primary, secondary, tertiary
• Surface containers (5 levels): surface-container-lowest → -highest — tonal elevation replaces shadow-only depth

Typography (Material 3)

5 roles × 3 sizes — Display (57/45/36), Headline (32/28/24), Title (22/16/14), Body (16/14/12), Label (14/12/11). Weights limited to Regular or Medium. Body Large (16px) for primary reading.

Forms

• inputmode / type="email|tel|number|url" for correct mobile keyboard
• autocomplete tokens for autofill
• Labels outside inputs — never placeholder-as-label (fails WCAG 1.3.1)
• Error states = color + icon + text (WCAG 1.4.1 — not color alone)
• Field height ≥ 44px

iOS Safari specifics

• No hover — use @media (hover: hover) for desktop-only affordances
• No automatic PWA install prompt — instruct user to Share → Add to Home Screen
• Push notifications supported since iOS 16.4
• 50 MB Safari cache ceiling — plan offline-first accordingly
• No access to Face ID / Touch ID / BLE / USB / full accelerometer from web

Material 3 motion

Use the motion-physics springs for interactive transitions (M3 Expressive, May 2025). Durations/easings still documented for non-interactive. Always respect prefers-reduced-motion.

Performance budgets that shape UX

• LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1
• Chunk main-thread tasks >50ms
• Prefer transform / opacity for animation (compositor-only)

Anti-patterns

• :hover used to reveal primary content → broken on touch
• Fixed headers/FABs that eat >30% of viewport
• Hardcoded hex instead of role tokens
• Color-only error signaling