Responsive website design is a method used to create web pages that automatically reformat content and reorient the page layout based on the size and shape of the viewing window.
As screen sizes have changed over the years, from desktop monitors to smartphone screens, responsive design has become more important. People have spent more time on mobile devices, so it’s crucial to have a mobile-friendly website.
Responsive website design is not a specific template or specific set of rules; it is a concept that can be applied in different ways. There are hundreds of different responsive frameworks and libraries that can help you build a responsive website.
Some of these use plain HTML and CSS, some use JavaScript, and some are specifically designed for certain platforms like WordPress or Drupal. Some are free and some are not.
Three key aspects of responsive website design:
As mentioned above, responsive website design is a technique used to create single-page websites that function properly and look good on any device.
The first key aspect of responsive web design is using flexible grids. Grids are a system of lines that structure content. Content can be text or images, for example.
Flexible grids use rows and columns that adjust in size based on the device being used to view the page. This makes content fit properly on different devices, even ones with different screen sizes and shapes.
The second key aspect of responsive web design is designing in relative dimensions. When designing content, we do not set the size of elements in px (pixels) but in rel (relative) values. This makes the element sizes adapt to the device being used to view the page.
The third key aspect of responsive web design is using media queries. These query statements check whether a device meets certain conditions and then apply certain styles to the content.
Examples of responsive websites
There are many examples of responsive websites that you can look to for inspiration. Some of the most famous ones include Amazon, Twitter, and YouTube.
These sites have changed their site design in order to be responsive. Amazon was one of the first major companies to have a fully responsive site when they launched their mobile app.
They made it so that any device could access the same information, and we could make purchases through it. This is one of the biggest features of responsive website design.
However, it is good to keep in mind that not all websites are fully compatible with all devices. It is your responsibility as a person with a website or blog to make sure your information is accessible by all devices.
Is your website ready for mobile devices?
With the rise of mobile device usage, it has become increasingly important for web designers and developers to account for mobile users.
More people are browsing the web from their mobile phones than ever before. This is because more people own smartphones than they do computers or laptops.
People use their phones to interact with businesses, so it is crucial to your website is responsive or optimized for mobile devices. If your website is not responsive, it will appear broken or incorrect on mobile devices and dissuade potential customers.
While some websites only use simple formatting and do not rely on complex code, this can also be a problem. When a website does not have enough computer power or memory to handle complexity, it may not work correctly on a mobile device.
By having a responsive website design, you ensure that all of your content appears correctly on all devices. This is done by rearranging the layout and content based on the size of the device viewing it.
How to make a responsive website design?
Creating a responsive website design requires some technical knowledge. You will need to know how to use certain coding languages, like HTML and CSS, and have access to code editing software, like Atom or Visual Studio. There are many free resources for both coding languages and code editing software, so do not worry!
There are several ways to create a responsive website, but we outlined the most common ones below. Some of these may be more recent than others, but all are effective.
Make your site more mobile friendly
In recent years, web usage has shifted significantly from desktop to mobile. As more people purchase smartphones, their interest in browsing the web via phone increases.
Statistics show that nearly half of all internet usage comes from mobile devices. This is a major change from just a few years ago, when most internet traffic came from desktop computers.
Because of this change, it is important for websites to have responsive design. This means that your website will be adaptable to different screen sizes and resolutions.
Those who have a static website may spend money on advertising to draw traffic to their site, only to find out that most of the traffic comes from desktops and doesn’t look at the site very long.
People on mobile devices have a very short attention span, so if your site does not respond well to their device, they will go somewhere else.
Use HTML5 and CSS3
As the world grows increasingly connected, users expect content to be accessible anywhere. This includes content like websites.
With the rise of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, it has become easier to access web content. Many users rely solely on their mobile devices for internet access, making a mobile-friendly website essential.
HTML5 is a language used to structure and display content on a website. It can create menus, text boxes, images, and videos. CSS3 is a style sheet applied to HTML elements to add visual effects like rounded corners or drop shadows.
Both HTML5 and CSS3 are useful tools for creating responsive website design. By using these languages, you can create separate layouts that respond to different screen sizes. For example, a layout may feature lots of text boxes for a desktop layout, but they will shift to more columns on a mobile layout to accommodate more text.
Use media queries
Responsive design uses CSS media queries to adjust the layout and flow of a website based on the user’s device.
Also, responsive design typically uses one or both of the following concepts: fluid grids and flexible media. Both concepts use CSS media queries to implement them.
Use Fluid Grids
Fluid grids use percentages instead of fixed unit values (like pixels or ems) to determine the cell size of a grid or the total amount of cells in a grid. This makes it so that the grid can smoothly adapt to different-sized screens.
A grid-based layout uses columns in your HTML code to create separate areas for content. Then, you use CSS to adjust the width and height of these columns based on the size of the screen. This way, all of your content will stack and rearrange appropriately based on the screen size!
A floating grid-based layout is very similar to the first one mentioned, except the content floats in separate areas instead of having fixed columns. Again, this has to be adjusted through CSS depending on the screen size.
Use fluid images
Flexible media uses relative units (such as ems or percentages) to set the size of elements, rather than fixed unit values. This makes it easier for the content to adapt to different screen sizes since you can simply increase or decrease the total number of ems or percent distribution across all elements.
Besides fluid layout design, responsive website design also requires you to use fluid images.
Unlike traditional website design, where images are in a certain-sized box. Responsive web design resizes images based on the width of the screen they are being displayed on.
Do this through image file sizes and script functionality. Image files must be larger to accommodate for smaller screen sizes, and we must update scripts to work properly on different browsers.
Some scripts that are used for responsive web design require specific browser versions so that features can be used properly. To avoid faulty functionality in your responsive site, you must update your server to those specific versions.
A web developer who specializes in designing and developing responsive websites says that one of the most common problems he sees is elements being positioned incorrectly because of incorrect use of the CSS margin property.
Why is responsive web design important?
Responsive web design is essential in today’s digital landscape. By allowing your website content to flow freely across all screen resolutions and sizes, it creates a seamless user experience on any device.
In fact, Google recommends responsive design as a best practice, since it makes the site mobile-friendly and improves the way it appears on all devices. As a result, users are more likely to spend more time navigating your site and have a positive experience regardless of the device they are using.
Responsive website design helps you save money by eliminating the need for unnecessary resizing, scrolling, and zooming. It also increases user stickiness and ultimately leads to higher user engagement and conversions. Therefore, investing in a responsive website design not only benefits the end user but also positively impacts the bottom line.
