If it can't be read on a phone, it doesn't exist. Over 70% of Amazon shoppers br
By John Aspinall ✱ · March 31, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
If it can't be read on a phone, it doesn't exist.
Over 70% of Amazon shoppers browse on mobile devices.
But almost every creative team designs on a 27-inch desktop monitor.
I watch it happen constantly.
A designer spends 3 hours perfecting a hero image on their MacBook Pro.
Beautiful detail work.
Subtle text.
Then I pull it up on a phone screen.
The text is unreadable.
The product detail that was supposed to differentiate it?
⤷ Invisible.
The "dead pixel" callout they carefully placed?
⤷ A blurry smudge.
Three hours of work that doesn't exist in the context where most shoppers will see it.
Here's what I do:
I physically mirror my iPhone to my screen while designing.
The phone sits next to my monitor the entire time.
Every edit, every text placement, every post-edit gets checked at actual phone size in real time.
Not "zoom to 50% on my monitor."
→ That's not the same.
Actual phone.
Actual screen size.
Actual distance your customer holds it at.
The rule is simple:
→ If the text can't be read on a 6-inch screen, remove it or make it bigger
→ If the product detail isn't visible at thumbnail size, it's not a differentiator
→ If your value proposition requires squinting, it's not a value proposition
This one habit - designing with a phone in hand - eliminates 80% of the hero image mistakes I see.
Designers hate hearing this.
They spent years learning composition & detail work.
But Amazon isn't a gallery.
⤷ It's a phone screen scrolling at speed.
Design for where your customer actually is.
Pull up your hero image on your phone right now. Hold it at arm's length.
Can you read everything?