​I'm still seeing lots of emails in my inbox that are clearly designed for the large screen. The most common big-screen emails I'm seeing are from big-box retailers and merchandisers. I call these types of emails electronic versions of printed catalogs and brochures.

And I'm also receiving these big-screen emails from non-profits too. Same thing. They're sending electronic versions of Ye Olde Newsletter that shows up in your street-side mailbox.

Without getting all technical on you and throwing out terms like "responsive design", and "media query", let me just summarize it all up and say that most modern email design programs have the ability to create emails that look one way on the big screen and another way on a small screen (e.g., smartphone and tablet). But I'm seeing too many emails not taking advantage of this fact.

I don't like reading big-screen emails on my smartphone because they're too hard to read. It's not worth my time to squint to read or zoom out. I just want an email that's easy to read just by looking at it. I'm sure you're no different than me, and neither are your customers.

You really should take some time to think whether it's time to totally ditch designing your emails for the big screen. Here's 3 indicators to help you make that decision.

​Key #1: What's the Age Group of Your Target Audience?
If your target audience trends for the 25-and-under demographic, then definitely you should design your emails primarily for the small screen. Most people in this age group don't own computers. But if they do, they certainly don't use them for reading emails.