Optimizing images for mobile browsers with a UX mindset

Optimizing images for websites is crucial to improve performance, user experience, and search engine optimization. Images are the largest contributors to webpage weight, and optimizing them can significantly reduce load times and data usage. Key strategies include resizing images to appropriate dimensions, implementing compression techniques like lossy and lossless algorithms, and using modern file formats such as WebP and AVIF that offer smaller file sizes without compromising quality. Additionally, employing the HTML <picture> element allows for responsive image loading by serving different image sizes and formats based on the user's device and resolution, while lazy loading ensures that images are only downloaded when they are likely to be viewed. These methods collectively can achieve up to a 97% reduction in file size and a 91% decrease in load time, enhancing the overall efficiency of web pages.