"Mobile first" has been our industry mantra for years. But this device-centric thinking is increasingly outdated in a world where users seamlessly move between phones, tablets, laptops, watches, and voice interfaces.

What matters isn't whether someone is on mobile or desktop, but their context: Are they in a hurry? At work? Relaxing at home? These contexts drive needs and behaviors far more than screen size alone.

I propose a shift from "mobile first" to "context first" - designing for situations and mindsets rather than devices. This means identifying the key contexts for your product and optimizing for those, rather than simply adapting layouts to different screens.

For example, a banking app might identify these primary contexts: quick balance check (on-the-go, distracted), detailed financial planning (focused, goal-oriented), and emergency support (stressed, urgent). Each context has different requirements for information density, interaction complexity, and feature priority.

Good contextual design anticipates transitions between contexts. How does the experience adapt when a user starts a task on their phone while commuting, then continues later on their laptop? These hand-offs are often where experiences break down.

This approach requires deeper user research focused on environmental factors, concurrent activities, emotional states, and time constraints - not just device usage. Journey maps should highlight context shifts as key moments.

While responsive design remains technically important, it should serve a broader contextual strategy rather than being the strategy itself. The most sophisticated products today adapt not just to screen size, but to time of day, location, user history, and even detected activity.

The future belongs to designers who understand that devices are just windows into contexts.