Responsive design is something that has become the norm in website design as it allows front end developers to design a site that automatically adjusts to the screen it is being viewed on. Take this Success Agency blog you are reading right now for example. If you are on a tablet, you notice it fits nicely there; a cell phone, the same; and a desktop computer as well. If you are on a desktop you can see responsive design in action by grabbing your browser window and making it bigger and smaller. You will see that the website “responds” by adjusting the text and visual items on the screen to make viewing the blog that much easier!
It’s not magic, it is responsive design and it’s very effective.
WSA Site in Mobile Responsive Design
WSA Site in Desktop View
Why Does Responsive Web Design Matter?
Only a few years ago the only place we were able to access the web was on our desktops. As you have noticed, the advent of smartphones made the necessity to view websites expand beyond that of just the desktop. The iPhone specifically was the cell phone that featured a user friendly web browser and essentially changed the game in terms of the places users were accessing the web.
As more and more people used their cell phones to browse the web the expectation for these mobile websites changed. People now wanted to be able to use their phones to browse the internet just as easily as they could their desktops. To respond to this demand in efficient design web designers started creating mobile versions of websites. We would later find that this was not the most efficient approach to creating websites but at the time it seemed to work well.
In the not too distant future other devices started popping up that also enabled users to browse the web. Mini laptops and tablets joined the ranks of desktops and smart phones and people were using these devices to browse the web everywhere.
As you can imagine it would be quite time-consuming and expensive to design a website that was customized for all these various screen sizes. Instead it made more sense to design one website that could adapt to all the screen sizes and provide the user, no matter which device they were on, a great experience. Thanks to some creative thinking and coding, the responsive website was born.
Learn more about the person credited for developing responsive web design, Ethan Marcotte.
Why Should My Company Use Responsive Web Design?
If the answer as to why every website should be built using responsive web design isn’t already obvious, here are our thoughts. Responsive website design allows users to experience the best browsing experience no matter what device they are on. When a website is created with its end users in mind it enjoys considerably more engagement as well as shows users that the website owners are consistent with the times. It also means that a website need not be coded several different times for all of the various screens that consumers use. This saves money, time, and the frustration from wondering if your website will work well across all the various devices that spring up every time we blink.
If you want to see responsive website design in action, just play with the browser window if you are viewing this blog on a desktop. If you are viewing this site on a tablet or smartphone you are already enjoying the benefits of responsive design.
To learn how your website can take advantage of responsive web design, ask us at WebSuccessAgency.com. Modern technology has changed, has your brand adapted?
