What, Why and How of Responsive Web Designs

Web designers and bloggers all over the internet have been screaming at the top of their lungs about responsive web design for past few years. It is probable by now you may feel "Okay, YES I got the concept! Can't just anybody around here tell me how to get one?" Well guess what, I'm writing this piece just to tell you that.

Responsive Web Design in short

To summarize responsive designs once again a zillion^th time -

• Designs which adapt themselves with respect to the screen size.
• It is an ideology not a technology.
• It focuses on providing user maximum amount of information via any type of source.
• The mere content and pictures don't shrink, the layout adapts itself to the size of the screen.

Why Responsive Web Design

Once again widely searched and answered question's response-

• 2.1 billion subscriptions of mobile-broadband (Forbes)
• As of 2013 73.4 % mobile user access internet from their mobile which is likely to grow up to 90% by 2017 (Statista)
• In US already 90% of mobile users prefer their mobile to go online (Forbes)

The need for a responsive design is very much evident from such a staggering statistic. If you wish to understand more about it and its need then visit this infographic present in an intricately worded article by Joshua Steimle on Forbes magazine.

To come back to the point which I made you wait for is-

How to get Responsive Web Design

For a responsive design you'll have to be very cautious and thorough at every juncture of the process of website development.

• Clear you basics: I wrote all the above stuff because it is very important your basics are clear before you begin your journey towards a responsive website.
• Choose Wisely: It is necessary to choose a web design agency well versed in responsive design and capable enough to do it..
• Check credentials: Check the credentials of the agency not by reading the testimonials on their website rather by checking their work on a number of different platforms yourself.
• Technical Aspects: Understand a few technical aspects before you talk to a web design agency, so they do not consider you a naive customer. For example ask them what type of framework they will use for your website. Bootstrap and Foundation are two popular CSS frameworks used these days.
• Testing and debugging: These two are very important,so this processes should be carried out by a competent agency only so either hire a freelance for a second opinion or make sure the web design agency you have chosen is capable of testing the website in all the possible conditions then debugging the code.

These are some of the checkpoints you have to clear if you want to complete this race and make a responsive website.

A Wake Up Call for Responsive Web Designs

Despite several reminders, cautions and wake up calls many are still oblivious to the existence of Responsive Web Design (RWD). The term was coined by Ethan Marcotte in May 2010 and since then it is on the rise in the digital sphere. The concept of RWD acts like a beacon for your website. No doubt, you can exist without it but, no one would be aware of your existence.

So if you are adamant to be a lone wolf in the wilderness, well then there is not much left to say but if by now you have realized the importance of being heard in the market then I would like to mention some of the features of RWD -

• Responsive Web Designs are not to be taken lightly as they will shape the future of your website in internet.
• Users tend to opt for utilities that are diverse and adjustable to their needs. RWD makes this possible.
• A responsive design allows your website to mould into any kind of screen which comes in its way.
• The necessity to write the code for multiple platforms is totally non-existent, saves your precious time and money.
• The rise of smart phones and tablets have rendered the arguments against responsive designs useless.
• By now mobile phones are responsible for more than 55% of net usage across the globe. It gives you enough perspective on the advantage of RWD.
• A mobile first approach is advisable while writing the code. It enables you to modify your code easily for other devices with least amount of bugs.
• Lastly, a responsive design is meant to engage users by its adaptive, fast and aesthetic outline.

Pay heed to this wake up call because nothing is going to warn you now about the possibility of your website getting lost in oblivion if it does not adapts itself to the stimulus.

Mobile Smart Website is the new Mobile Ready Website

Too long have you been plagued by the web designers telling you ways to have a responsive web design for your website , have it migrated to WordPress or something similar that is in their niche. Here I am writing another piece of informative text that tells you to pursue the best in the industry, whoever you may think he/she is, despite my allegiances. Yes, it is informative i swear.

Since I swore to you it will be informative let me tell you mobile ready website is just another catchy phrase that will have to adapt with the time or it will be gone for good. Read carefully what I'm saying and then cross reference it with what your web designer is telling you about your website. If it sounds similar then he is probably best for you, otherwise its time to go looking for someone who understands mobile ready website is not completely a mobile smart website.

So, to make a better judgment call the understanding of the topic is quite necessary.

• Mobile Smart website is a holistic approach to responsive web design vis-à-vis mobile ready website.
• It incorporates all the features of a mobile ready website and gives you better than what you expected.
• Everything from fluid grids, media queries and flexible images to content matter and its placement is modified to fit the requirement of your customer.
• It provides the highest level of customer interaction with fluid layout to captivating and informative content.
• In essence it wants to give the best of both the worlds, responsive web design infused with the content both eloquent and brief. Thus, improving the visibility, subject matter and performance of the website in one masterstroke.

This is something serious to think about. An idea that completes itself and can single-handedly increase your market and revenue. Just to think of it, all your needs handed down to you on a silver platter in the cost of a website is a great deal, an opportunity that rarely comes by again.

Anyway, my job was to provide an “informative text” which I believe I did honestly, rest its up to and your quest for responsive web design to make the right choice.

Your website may be mobile ready but is it mobile smart?

People usually think once you have a mobile ready website on the go your business is gonna soar and your revenue will shoot up. To some extent it may happen but it will not happen surely unless and until your website is mobile smart.

Mobile smart? What the hell is this ? Totally plausible question, given the scenario where everybody talks about mobile ready website suddenly someone comes and adds smart instead of website and thinks to bring about a revolution by giving a new term to the web industry is a preposterous notion. Responsive web design is synonymous with mobile ready website, the new lingo of the internet and along comes an evangelist who tries to put new jargon in your head. I would belying if I'd say it wouldn't be my first response but its a matter of curiosity.

But yeah, I would definitely want people to benefit from any information I share especially if it helps them understand how to differentiate between a mobile ready website and mobile smart website. So first you have to understand what does mobile smart website means.

Mobile Smart Website

The design which not only follows the principal of responsive design in code but in philosophy. Every pixel of your design would corroborate this new pattern of web design. It is not merely making your website fit into different screens altogether, it means making your website a state of the art responsive website with such seamless presentation which hooks any user by its simplicity woven in extravagance. It has its own share of similarities and differences from a mobile ready website, to summarize a few :-

• This is not rearrangement of code to fit the web page into different screen size.
• As Ethan Marcotte, the creator of Responsive Web Design, puts it - flexible images, media queries and fluid layouts collectively comprise RWD. This goes even one step further.
• Mobile Ready Website is a bench mark of RWD but, Mobile Smart Website takes it to the next level.
• A mobile smart website is not only a skillful responsive web design but it should appeal in content too. It should grab the attention of end user to make him a possible customer.
• To give the right amount of information, neither too much nor too less is the soul of mobile smart design.
• The core principle differs as it aims to inscribe your brand in the minds of the viewer via your website, making it responsive in the process.
• Less is the new more. Minimalistic art, minimalistic designs, minimalistic information- the art of expressing more with less.
• Remember, every mobile smart website is mobile ready but every mobile ready website is not mobile smart.

For some time Growth Technosoft has been lobbying for mobile smart websites but the word hasn't traveled far.

So, before you dismiss the notion remember, every great idea was once the fodder for skeptics and non-believers but eventually the idea prevailed. Having said that, many ideas dissolved into nothingness too. What I mean is never dismiss anything without a confrontation or someday you might think “Wish I would've tried it once.”

Mobile Ready Website: To be or not to be

Getting a mobile ready website is a rage among people and they are queuing up to get the job done as soon as possible. Unfortunately the reality doesn't seem to kick in. Too much advertisements have led you to believe fitting a website into a mobile screen solves all your problem and suddenly you will have tremendous amount of sales going on and your business will be a boomin'.

The propaganda over Responsive Web Design RWD has now gripped more than half of the blogs spread across the cyberspace. All of this seems pretty much a farce if you don't even get gist behind the idea.

Don't mistake my saying that as getting a responsive web design was a mistake. I mean to those out there grinning, who haven't had this done yet are endangered species. Unless they want there websites to become extinct their only way out is a responsive web design. The point is people are so much rushing into getting this done, they have forgotten some key points of the deal which originally was meant to be followed.

Responsive Web Design, what it is and what it is not:-

• Getting a website to fit into multiple screens isn't the complete answer.
• Mobile ready websites don't mean they are up to date to handle any all your marketing woes.
• Fluid grids are not meant to advertise your product, for that you need grippy content.
• Media queries won't make your websites perform faster and decrease the page load time.
• Beware of people who claim responsive web design and sell you device friendly templates.
• Such mobile ready websites are dangerous for you and your business as well. Simply flexible images won't cover the entire genreof responsive web design.
• There are other factors like content, presentation, performance which collectively contributes to RWD.

Do not let any web designer fool you into getting a mobile ready website and you end up paying for is a flexible web template.

Why Responsive Website Design (RWD) is a Requirement not just a Feature

It is highly unlikely that you are a smart phone user and have never browsed a website in your phone. If you haven't, it is probable that you must be learning how to do that as we speak. My point being that most of the internet traffic nowadays is channeled via smart phones and thus the problem, of how to build websites that are flexible enough to suit any platform. By now you might have guessed the solution to the stated problem(as its quite obvious from the title) is Responsive Website Design (RWD) . So, let us take a deeper look and understand what a responsive design is.

According to CNN, mobile phones were responsible for 55% of internet usage in USA around January 2014. while stats regarding people accessing net from their desktops vs mobile are:

• Mostly via Desktop — 11 percent
  
• Evenly split between both mobile and PC — 28 percent
  
• Mostly via mobile — 37 percent
  
• Only via mobile — 23 percent
  

Therefore, it is quite apparent that flexibility of a website, or its being responsive in different platforms is an essential necessity.

So if you have browsed enough websites from your mobile then you might have come across certain websites whose texts are misaligned or have too much sideways scrolling. These are some of the many flaws that Responsive Website Design has overcome quite brilliantly as it offers complete functionality, optimum readability and can be easily used such that it remains consistent across various platforms and screen sizes.

If you are still not convinced why RWD is the need of the hour then take a look at these staggering stats concerning web browsing via mobiles :

• 74% of consumers will wait 5 seconds for a web page to load on their mobile device before abandoning the site.

• 46% of consumers are unlikely to return to a mobile site if it didn't work properly during their last visit.
• There are over 2 Billion people accessing the web from their mobiles.

As the data suggests the future of websites is in responsive design and you can find a lot of web designers, like us at Growth Technosoft who are working to make your website responsive and flexible. For those who think its just a passing phase and RWD is just another feature need to be vigilant for time is ruthless and the future is moving beyond your desktop screen.

Sources:-

http://marketingland.com/outside-us-60-percent-internet-access-mostly-mobile-74498

http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/28/technology/mobile/mobile-apps-internet/

http://www.gomez.com/wp-content/downloads/19986_WhatMobileUsersWant_Wp.pdf

http://www.gomez.com/wp-content/downloads/19986_WhatMobileUsersWant_Wp.pdf

http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/infographic-2012-mobile-growth-statistics/

The Reality Behind the Responsive Web Design

I've had a hard time believing many people across the globe still believe that fluid grid system and media queries will somehow magically revive your website into the largest hit within a span of few months. Such hopes on a misunderstood concept is sad, and it also makes me angry over all those evangelist of responsive web designs who have sung their hearts out in the praise of responsive web designs without giving away the finer details that matter.

Why am I so annoying today is because I'm tired of writing all the safeguards and advices about those finer details you missed and how they come back to stab you from behind. Hmph(taking a deep breath). Sorry, if I got a bit carried away, happens to you if your sitting 9 hours a day in front of your PC thinking about how to warn others of the supposed foolhardy they are so keen on doing.

Without much ado, responsive web design and mobile ready website means the same if, and only if, a professional and competent web designer is saying so. Otherwise it is a simple case of getting your website to be made to fit in a mobile. Okay, I'm not saying someone is trying to rob you or something, its possible the concerned person or agency in question is himself uncertain about the nuances of responsive web design.

I have to admit the real perspective of RWD can be quite elusive, hence the common misunderstanding. So i'm gonna break it down to you in few simple points so you read them carefully and get an idea of what am I trying to say and why it is important :-

• Responsive Web Design came into being to support the idea behind making a unified website for all the devices.
• Flexible images in fluid grid system and media queries definitely constitute a major part of RWD and initially it was all there was to it.
• So what you think it means is what it meant at the start but as the concept developed a whole new identity emerged.
• Accommodating your website into mobile is one aspect but representing it in mobile is another.
• The representation includes content, its placement – what and where, and embedding performance into your website.
• Studies have shown people will stay on a webpage if it loads within a second or two in the mobile.
• This combination gives you an actual responsive design and to state it correctly a mobile smart website.
• The idea is to engage the user to the last minute and communicate with him in a crisp yet effective manner.

I'm hoping whatever I wrote was of some value to you and would help you in deciding the future of your website and your business.

Responsive Design: The misunderstood genius

"You know my website supports any platform or screen size. My web designs are completely responsive and we care about our customers".

You might have seen a lot of web development companies flashing similar messages across the world wide web. Claims of responsive web designs and customer satisfaction are neither faulty nor malign, they are simply naive. The responsiveness of a website is so much more than adjusting to a smartphone or a tablet screen. Don't get me wrong, even I harbored a similar notion about responsive web designs for a very long time until recently I was enlightened which now I wish to share with you.

Definitely, the basics are still the same, about a design which is platform independent but when we claim to "understand and care" for our customers I suggest you, pause and introspect whether or not you have understood what makes the crowd tick.

Responsive design takes responsible designing and a knowledge - performance often trumps aesthetics, as seen in case of a particular Finnish mobile company (if you know what I mean). This harsh but true fact should be the lead driving force behind any idea, code or design. Every user craves an optimum performance, a webpage loading on a device within 1second is considered to be the best, good looks would definitely not hurt. The perfect amalgam of beauty and performance can drive your sales beyond imagination.

It is never too late if you wish to tweak the design or code a little bit. Although there is no universal solution to improve the code, some healthy changes can definitely be done -

• Oh, so haven't started with the design yet? Good, now remember to use mobile first approach, period.
• In a responsive layout change the structure of the document but never change the content or URL while delivering it to other devices.
• Performance should be regularly measured and improved upon using optimization tools.
• Browser resizing is not a legit test. After the resources have been loaded and display:none is applied check it on different devices.
• Only load the JS (JavaScript) with conditional loading required for the current device or subsequent to onload event.
• Using srcset attribute to deliver images by JavaScript.
• Forefront should showcase above-the-fold content in a mobile device while the initial viewing should be inline.
• Implement smart methods to responsive web design solution like group based responsiveness, adaptive approach (server side layer) and conditional loading.

Once you familiarize the real deal about responsiveness it will seem so much more than what it appeared from its name. It had been there all along we simply failed to recognize it. Now, you may agree or disagree with me but at least we should be in consensus regarding what our end game is. It is not a groundbreaking technology, code or a design. It is simply is user's happiness.

Don't Let Ignorance Ruin Your Website

Do you check thoroughly before buying a new house? Do you check it in-depth, the walls, the texture, the furniture, the faults and leakages, ventilation etc. ? Do you check the neighborhood in which you are about to live in, how compatible you are with others? Of course you do, who am I kidding right? Then why you don't even have a clue about the responsiveness of your website?

Your company and business depends upon responsive web designs the same way your safety and security depends upon the house you bought. You should be aware of your surroundings and the variables which may affect your website. Lets say you know what should be done but until and unless the nuances of the process is not clear, you could be aiming in the dark. Know your website or its future would be in jeopardy.

Okay, you may wave me off as cynical because you have already hired people to get your website a responsive design and you don't need advice from some random stranger. Before you roll your eyes and change the page let me tell you few important points about responsive designs -

• A responsive design is not a technology to have for a hit website, it is an ideology.
  
• The idea is to represent your website in the most agreeable manner to the user.
  
• Hence it requires for your website to fit all screen sizes especially the mobile phones owing to their increasing popularity.
  
• Furthermore the visible content should be precise and most suitable, so it easily grips the viewer.
  
• The layout and positioning should be responsive on different screens to blend the designs and content.
  
• Compressing your website to fit a small screen is mere stupidity, not responsiveness. You should know better.
  
• The content becomes compressed and is barely visible without zooming, half of the viewership dies at that instant.
  
• Now you know the ideology of responsive web designs is to bind user in any form for a small amount of time and deliver maximum information.
  

Use this information wisely, understand what your customer wants, prioritize the information and provide it in the respective order. Finally, it is highly necessary that whichever agency you have chosen is aware of these simple facts so that he can give you the best that you deserve.