Is it better to design first for a small screen and than for a larger screen or is it better the other way around?

I sent this question to two colleagues of mine. One of my colleague is Alexander Beck, he is senior interaction designer and architect. The other colleague is Hartmut Beil, who is also a senior interaction designer and photographer.

Both colleagues prefer to design first for a small screen instead of starting with a larger screen. The main reason is that the small screen forces everyone in a project team to focus on what is important (Beck, 2011). Beck (2011) asked the question: “But who decides which actions are “important” and/or “critical”? Answer: it depends on who you ask.” With this answer Beck (2011) means for example different team members could have a different focus dependent from the area they work for. Therefore it is better to speak with the target audience to find out the important and/ or critical actions.

Furthermore Beil (2011) added that it would be a 'piece of cake' to transfer a simplifying design for a small screen to a bigger screen. He also explained that starting with a bigger screen could camouflage more easily conceptual problems. Beil’s (2011) conclusion is “it is better to design for the hardware with the most limitations first, then go up. It is like bicycling in a group - the slowest member will set the pace”.

Beck, A., 2011. Email conservation. Not published. 

Beil, H., 2011. Email conservation. Not published.