Understanding the need for Responsive Web Design
Published: April 2022
Understanding the need for Responsive Web Design
Do you remember how we engaged with the internet 20 years ago? How about even just 10 years ago? Haven’t things changed dramatically? Since our founding in 2002, we have witnessed 7 generations of the Windows operating system, and 16 versions of macOS. Not to mention the rise of smartphones and the mobile internet!
It is this rapid change, and the many challenges it brings, which has caused a certain lag in the adoption of Responsive Web Design.
So what is Responsive Web Design, exactly?
Not to overstate its importance, Responsive Web Design is an absolute necessity in 2022 and moving forwards. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s a term that was coined in 2010 by Ethan Marcotte. It is the idea that website design and development should respond to users’ behavior and environment based on screen size, platform, and orientation.
If that doesn’t sound much of a task, then consider how many resolution options are available on your monitor. Add in the number of platforms that access your website on a daily basis. Take into consideration all the varied browsers and devices that connect to your company. The possibilities number in the thousands.
What does the future hold?
The internet is ageing. Websites once created to be displayed on huge monitors, are now crammed onto tiny phones, and are expected to do so without losing beauty, ease of use, and their held information. And the need to be displayed in all of these different ways is Responsive Web Design.
Technology continues to change and improve. Look at the challenges posed by the newest foldable smartphones. Your website is needed to respond to changing aspect ratios and orientations on one single device in the bend of a wrist. As the shift of web design leans more towards user experience and accessibility, competition becomes stiff to create sleek but informative sites.
Do I need to do anything?
One of your considerations when commissioning the build of a new website, is who is going to view it. Are most of your views going to come from a mobile browser? If so, you need to adopt a mobile-first approach, especially as Google recently introduced mobile-first indexing which prefers mobile-friendly websites when searching on mobile devices.
If your website caters more to Business to Business trade, then you can also consider approaching from a desktop view as a priority. If you are unsure about these things, then be sure to ask the team when commissioning a new site.
Achieve a Responsive Web Design
We have decades of expertise in understanding the needs of not only our clients, but the users who visit our clients’ sites. We can work with you towards ensuring your site is responsive not only to your needs, but to the needs of your customers.
Contact us for a chat today on 0191 423 5688 to find out how we can help achieve your objective of a user friendly responsive web design.
