This is the first in a three-part series introducing people to Responsive Web Design.
One Website for Every Screen
Unless you've been living under a rock the last few years, you've surely noticed how popular mobile and tablet devices are. Its no news that internet users aren't always waiting until they get home or back to the office to look up information on the web, send that email or make an online purchase.
Frequently, we have a client ask us if the website we're building for them will "work on a smartphone or iPad", as well as ask if it will cost more. By using the technique of Responsive Web Design (RWD), we're able to ensure that the website we develop will be optimized to work on every internet device, without adding significant extra cost.
“Day by day, the number of devices, platforms, and browsers that need to work with your site grows. Responsive web design represents a fundamental shift in how we’ll build websites for the decade to come.”
- Jeffrey Veen
Responsive Web Design is a technique of crafting a website that provides the user with an optimal viewing experience regardless of the device they're using, whether its a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. It places emphasis on easy reading and navigation control by adapting the layout of the viewing environment by using fluid, proportion-based grids and flexible images. This approach ensures a user-friendly site that clearly communicates important information.
Will We Have to Develop a Separate Mobile Site?
You could, but you probably don't want to. Developing a separate mobile site is an option chosen by some (which we'll cover more in Part 2), but there are technical considerations, increased cost, and even SEO limitations that most businesses probably want to avoid.
The RWD approach allows designers and web developers to create a single, unified web presence that avoids these problems. By building a single website that adapts to the environment in which its being viewed, a business will only have to manage the content of one site. Additionally, there are SEO benefits to having a responsive website, which we'll cover more in Part 3.
So Why Hasn't it Always Been Done Like This?
For the answer to that question, read The Responsive Web Part 2 >
