Design the loading states first
Before the hero gets polished, we sketch what it looks like at second zero: skeleton blocks, font fallbacks, the order things appear. If the loading state feels calm, the finished page will feel instant — because perceived speed is designed, not compiled.
Budget every element
Each mockup ships with a weight budget: so many images, so many fonts, so much JavaScript. A carousel that costs 400KB has to earn its place against a static grid that costs 40KB. Clients love this conversation because it turns taste into arithmetic.
Prototype on the worst phone, not the best monitor
We review every prototype on a three-year-old mid-range phone over throttled 4G. If it stutters there, the design changes — fewer web fonts, smaller hero video, native-feeling interactions. Flagships forgive everything; real users carry everything else.
The takeaway
A mockup is a contract with the build. Ours include loading, weight and device notes from day one, which is why our web design projects launch fast and stay fast.