What It Is + How To Use It
Every client these days should have a mobile version of their website.
It’s practically essential after all: one design for the BlackBerry, another for the iPhone, the iPad, netbook, Kindle — and all screen resolutions must be compatible, too. In the next five years, we’ll likely need to design for a number of additional inventions. When will the madness stop? It won’t, of course.
In the field of Web design and development, we’re quickly getting to the point of being unable to keep up with the endless new resolutions and devices. For many websites, creating a website version for each resolution and new device would be impossible, or at least impractical. Should we just suffer the consequences of losing visitors from one device, for the benefit of gaining visitors from another? Or is there another option?
In today’s day and age the Internet is one of the world’s most important forms of media.
However; Internet access is not just for desktops anymore…
All over the world people are accessing the Internet using different mobile devices.
Mobile device usage is growing more quickly than it ever has before!
Is your website ready for mobile viewing…?
Since their creation mobile device ownership has been on the rise:
90% of Americans own a cell phone
58% a smartphone
32% an e-reader
42% a tablet
Does your website reach all potential clients on all platforms possible…?
Responsive websites RESPOND directly to the screen size of the device that they are viewed on.
Ensure your website is accessible on laptops, e-readers, and smartphones by implementing a responsive design.
What Is Responsive Web Design?
Responsive Web design is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation.
The practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS media queries. As the user switches from their laptop to iPad, the website should automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities. One may also have to consider the settings on their devices; if they have a VPN for iOS on their iPad, for example, the website should not block the user’s access to the page. In other words, the website should have the technology to automatically respond to the user’s preferences. This would eliminate the need for a different design and development phase for each new gadget on the market.
Thanks to Smashing Magazine for this detailed description.
