Personally, I have disliked the mobile-first mindset since the beginning because on my primary platform (the desktop) it results in too little content on screen. I much prefer "old" style interfaces like hacker news that give me lots of content on screen. As others have said elsewhere in this thread, I can (and do) use the zoom function when necessary.
I disagree with the article's assertion that larger text is more readable. In my own experience, I find that readability is reduced when scrolling occurs. Increase the amount of scrolling, decrease the readability.
There is no issue with "mobile-first". The problem is when designers think "mobile-only", forgetting that a sizable part of there audience still browse content on desktop.
Furthermore, given how web-pages are getting heavier and slower to load, I doubt any of these designers are really serious about designing for mobile at first place (I don't buy the "management wants tons of analytics" excuse).
> As others have said elsewhere in this thread, I can (and do) use the zoom function when necessary.
If a website doesn't allow you to zoom in the text, it's a design mistake,no more no less.
Back when I was doing a lot of brochure sites I often thought that there was a correlation between the quality of content and the amount of filler -- big text sizes, lots of graphics.
If I have a lot of meaningful content, say essays of 5,000 - 10,000 words or novella-length fiction, a 20px+ is going to make the page-length ridiculous. But sure, if you can only be bothered to churn out 100 words of copy and you want your page to not look like a content-desert then 20px+ font and giant margins are your friend.
I disagree with the article's assertion that larger text is more readable. In my own experience, I find that readability is reduced when scrolling occurs. Increase the amount of scrolling, decrease the readability.