Is responsive web design the future?

Is responsive web design the future?

With mobile devices still increasing in popularity, it’s never been more important for your website to cater for mobile users.

As Ofcom said nearly three years ago, we are a ‘nation addicted to smartphones’. While sales of traditional PCs are gradually declining, smart phones and tablets are on the up.

If you’ve never done anything about your mobile presence, the time for action is now. There are many factors to consider.

Different devices have varying screen sizes, resolutions and processing power. There’s a choice of platforms, too — like iOS, Android and Windows.

It would be virtually impossible to create a different version of your website tailored to each individual device. However, you can use responsive web design instead.

What is responsive web design?

Responsive web design is a way of making sure your website provides a universally good experience for visitors, regardless of what device they use.

It’s the ‘one size fits all’ approach to web design. When you create a responsive website, the various elements (images, content, navigation and so on) shift and change with the screen size.

You’ll soon understand if you see a responsive website in action. Go and visit Time Magazine on your computer, then resize your web browser window. As the size of the window changes, the content moves around to fit.

This means responsive sites work well on both large monitors and tiny smart phones.

The benefits of responsive web design

So, responsive web design sounds good. But is there evidence to say it’s worth investing time and money in?

Many companies that have moved to a responsive web design have experienced growth in conversion rates, creating a sales uplift from mobile traffic. We are yet to see the full impact mobile devices will have on online behavior. However, they’re certainly here to stay.

This means it’s vital to consider taking a responsive approach with any new or redesigned websites.

Some businesses have a much higher proportion of mobile visitors than others. But as mobile devices become even more common, you really should think about the responsive web.

• How responsive web design can net you more customers
• Many of the UK’s top retailers lack responsive sites
• What we can all learn from Microsoft’s homepage

Blog by Adrian Case of Akita Systems, providing IT support and consultancy to the South East of England since 1996.