What is responsive web design?
A responsive web design, known as RWD, is the design of a website that adjusts according to the size of screens and viewports. Nowadays, computers are not the only source of searching websites.
Different people having different sizes of screens and gadgets are exploring the web. By making a responsive website, you can make people browse your site from any type of device with no change in look or functionality.
How does a responsive website work?
Responsive web design is different from the standard — non-responsive — website design in the manner of its sheets. Generally, websites are designed by files named cascading style sheets — CSS.
CSS is used by applying different settings to provide different properties according to the size of the device, orientation, resolution, and all other features of the user’s device. Some CSS properties relevant to responsive web design include viewport and media queries.
A non-responsive website uses fewer CSS files to control the look and function of a website while a responsive website uses a different set of CSS files according to the device through which the website is approached. Depending upon the device used to browse the website, the site gives out the required look and response to the explorer.
For instance, a person who is viewing the website via a desktop will see the horizontal alignment of the navigation menu and the one who is searching via mobile will see the vertical alignment. Text on mobile shows up as bigger that is easy to read as compared to desktop.
Importance of responsive web design
During times, people used desktop computers to search websites. With the advancements in the present world, where everything has gone smarter, people prefer to surf via their mobile phones wherever they are. Initially, people had desktops of the same size and there was no need for adjustments according to the screens. Hence, the design of websites was for the general visitors.
Now things are different as people can access the sites via different devices having different screen sizes that can range from a few inches of a smartphone to a larger LED TV. With the changes in devices, people’s expectations from the websites are also different.
They hope that the website they visit will know what type of device they are using — such as a tablet, mobile, or PC. So, they expect that the data and look of the website will get adjusted according to their device.
There is also a difference in devices that are used now as they have different usability features. iPhone gives luxury to its users to swipe to all sides including p, down, left, and right. Moreover, people who visit a website through their mobile phones want to click the numbers having the option of auto-dialing.
Their expectations also include the click for directions option using the GPS of the phone. A responsive website has all the options that the users expect and is hence preferred over nonresponsive sites nowadays as it automatically provides the users with the ease and options they expect, regardless of the device they use to search the website.
Features of responsive web designing
A responsive web design (RWD) is a website design that adjusts according to the size of screens and viewports. Nowadays, computers are not the only source of searching websites. People all around the world, having different sizes of screens and gadgets are exploring the web. With a responsive website design, you can make people browse your site from any type of device with no change in look or functionality.
A responsive web is different from a non-responsive website in the manners of its sheets. Normally, standard or responsive websites are designed by using files named cascading style sheets — CSS.
CSS is applied by different settings to provide different properties according to the size of the device, orientation, resolution, and all other features of the surfer’s device. For example, some CSS properties relevant to responsive web design include viewport and media queries.
Some main features of responsive web design are given as:
1. Media queries
2. Flexible visuals
3. Fluid grids
Media queries:
Media queries are the function of responsive web design by which the developers check conditions to change the web designs according to the devices. In contrast to defining the breakpoints in HTML/CSS, it’s a more tailored experience for a surfer.
Flexible visuals:
It’s about using the code that inhibits the media files from surpassing the limits of dimensions of containers and viewports. This is just like a flexible pot that resizes itself according to the conditions. At present, as there are more than 8.9 billion different devices, flexible visuals allow the makers to design the web to fit into users’ demands.
Fluid grids:
By creating the fluid grids via CSS, columns adjust themselves to fit into the size of screens of devices and windows.