In previous years, a company needed a regular website that visitors could access online through a computer and a separate mobile-friendly website. This headache of having two sites meant more time updating content on two sites, programming time to fit different browsers/applications (we all know this pain), and drumroll please… more money. Luckily with the rise of the digital age came a sweet little thing called “Responsive Design.”
With nearly every consumer being attached to the Internet through smartphones, it is essential that businesses are there too. With the latest and greatest arrivals of media devices that feature different screen sizes and orientations (landscape or portrait), it can be hard to keep your website up to date with the new demands of such devices. Instead of crafting websites that fit each unique device, which would be impractical, there is one area of web design that is providing a solution, responsive design.
Responsive design is a web design practice that allows a website to be built in a way that when viewed, the website responds to the specific viewing device (including orientation and platform). Flexible grids/layouts, image placement, and CSS (cascading style sheets) allows for this function to happen. For example, if a user views a website with their Mac laptop and later in the day, views the same site with their iPhone, the website reformats itself (and sometimes the layout) to ensure proper readability and display on the appropriate device and to provide an easier navigation. Who wants to navigate a traditional site on their iPhone? No one because the text is too small to read and it’s hard to navigate throughout the site. This navigational benefit alone is a huge advantage for any mobile website.
One of the unique elements to responsive design is the way that it handles images. When a responsive website is viewed, the images not only scale to the appropriate size for the corresponding device, but the site itself also scales each image proportionally. This allows for large images to not overpower websites that are viewed on smaller screens, such as a smartphone. Responsive design doesn’t just come without any boundaries though. It is still best to ensure that web optimization is occurring with image sizes and that proper flow has been planned as responsive design does not alter image sizes.
Another great benefits to responsive design is that often times there is no need for additional programming and the website works seamlessly (small changes may be needed) with Android and Apple technologies. This not only allows for one site to be maintained instead of two, but also allows content to be updated quickly, allows the visitor to access the site on any device (computer, tablet, smartphone) or browser, and provides an optimal viewing experience.
Responsive website design is the next big thing in the world of web design because of the endless benefits it offers clients without the extra cost and time. Are you interested in responsive design for your company? Contact R2F Creative today and let us help you make a step forward with your website.
R2F Creative LLC provides graphic design + branding and web design solutions for clients nationwide and locally in Ankeny and Des Moines, Iowa.
