May 16 2013
With tablets, smart phones, and other handheld devices are gaining tremendous popularity, website designing is no longer just about how your website looks on the large screen of a computer. Interestingly, according to a recent survey, 45% of the American population owns a smart phone, as compared to 31% that owns a tablet device. No wonder, Mashable has named 2013 the year of responsive website design. So what exactly is responsive website design, and how huge is its impact on the world of internet users?
To put it simply, responsive website design is a dynamic approach to website designing, where emphasis is laid on maximum user satisfaction, by enabling flexibility in browsing depending on the device being used to access the website. The basic difference between traditional or “adaptive” websites and modern, “responsive” ones, is that while the former are based on multiple fixed width layouts, the latter rely on multiple fluid grid layouts.
This means that each page on a responsive website is built based on proportion rather than pixels. This is what makes responsive websites “respond” to the device they are being viewed on, appearing different on different-sized screens. Some websites are also following a mixed approach, whereby they adapt fluid layouts only for small screens, maintaining the use of fixed layouts for large and medium screens.
With the number of devices and browsers with which websites need to be compatible, responsive website design will definitely form the base of the way websites are built in the coming years. By adopting responsive website design, website owners do not need to create different websites for different-sized screens, but instead can use the same website over all platforms.
Some of the key things to ensure before switching to responsive website design for your website are whether you can afford this switch, how long the process shall take, and whether an immediate switch would be beneficial for your business. Checking the statistics of your website users to see how many visit you through mobile devices could be a good way to start. You can do this simply by selecting “audience” followed by “mobile” in Analytics report. You also need to have a content plan in place, and might want to consider whether developing a mobile app for your business would be more beneficial.
It is a good idea to start off with mobile design and gradually progress to larger screens. You can gradually up step your website’s responsive design by enabling features like swiping between columns on touch devices.
Centex Technologies serves Austin, Dallas and Killeen areas in Central Texas. For SEO, Ecommerce Website Development, CMS Development, call us at – (855) 375-9654