Best Practices for Responsive Web Designs.
What are Responsive Web Designs?
Responsive Web Design (RWD) is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform, and orientation.
For example, your content might be separated into different columns on desktop screens, because they are wide enough to accommodate that design. If you separate your content into multiple columns on a mobile device, it will be hard for users to read and interact with.
The goal of RWD is for a website to retain its optimal usability and appearance regardless of the device it’s displayed on.
Responsive Web Design vs. Adaptive Web Design
Responsive Web Design (RWD) and Adaptive Web Design are both approaches used to create user-friendly and visually appealing web experiences across different devices, but they employ different techniques to achieve this goal.
Adaptive Web Design (AWD), involves creating multiple versions of a design, each optimized for specific breakpoints or device categories.
NOTE: The Adaptive Design model offers mobile-friendliness, but not responsiveness.
With Adaptive Web Design, we have some benefits and they are:
- Fine-tuned control over user experience for specific devices.
- Can optimize performance by delivering tailored content.
- Enables custom interactions for different devices.
The problem with this approach is that it requires multiple static layouts. Whenever a user goes to your website, they are served a different version depending on the type of device they use.
Responsive web design solves this by having a fluid design that adjusts according to screen size. The design fluidly adjusts elements like images, text, and layout grids based on the screen’s dimensions. RWD uses flexible grids and media queries to provide a consistent user experience across a wide range of devices, from smartphones and tablets to desktops.
With Responsive Web Design, there are also some benefits:
- One design fits all devices, which simplifies maintenance.
- Scalable and adaptable to future devices without major redesign.
- Fluid and seamless user experience regardless of the device.
- Easier for search engines to index and rank content.
Responsive web designs are much easier to update and maintain as you can update the site once and it will adjust for all screen sizes. There is no separation between the mobile site and the desktop website.
The Importance of Responsive Web Designs
In order to create the best user experiences, interfaces must be optimized to fit a user’s device. A consistent user experience must be produced by designers for a variety of devices and viewports.
NOTE: If your site is not responsive, you might drive away the 4.32 billion online users who prefer to browse the internet on their smartphones. This way you will lose revenue and stay behind the competition.
Here are some reasons why RWD is important:
Improved User Experience: A responsive website adjusts its layout and content to fit the screen size, resulting in a consistent and user-friendly experience. Users won’t need to zoom in, scroll excessively, or struggle to interact with elements, enhancing their overall satisfaction and engagement.
Cost Effective: Opting for a responsive website, rather than a dual-version one, means that you have only one website to maintain and update. This will save time and finances which you can invest in making the single version of your website better and more efficient.
SEO Benefits: Search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly websites in search results. Having a responsive design can positively impact your website’s search engine rankings, leading to increased organic traffic and visibility.
Responsive Web Design: 7 best practices
Here are 5 design best practices that can ensure your website works for all users:
1. Start with a mobile-first approach
It may seem intuitive to begin your website design for a desktop, but it’s often better to start with a mobile-first approach. It is seen that mobile devices present more challenges, designers will have to face. By focusing on them first, it ensures a strong foundation for smaller screens and a smoother scaling-up process.
The emphasis on simplicity and clarity is critical for mobile websites also help you prioritize user-friendly design from the beginning of your process.
2. Choose fonts carefully
When choosing a font for a website, it’s common for designers to focus on its visual appeal and how well it fits with the overall style. However, it’s important to also consider how well the font will translate across different versions of the website. A font that looks great on a desktop version may not be as legible when scaled down for mobile users. Make sure to test each font on multiple devices before using them in your design.
When formatting headings, it’s advisable to make the font size at least one and a half times larger than the body text to ensure they stand out.
3. Design scalable navigation
It is crucial for your website navigation features to remain user-friendly when switching between versions. Scalable navigation ensures that menus and navigation bars adjust their location to prevent them from being concealed or difficult to click on smaller displays. If you need to simplify navigation for mobile devices, it is best to prioritize the options that most users need to access.
4. Pay Attention to Breakpoints
Breakpoints refer to specific points at which a website’s layout and design adapts to different screen sizes and devices. It is recommended that each web page has at least three breakpoints for mobile, tablet, and desktop.
In rare cases, designers might also need to consider how websites perform on iOS vs. Android devices.
5. Use Scalar Vector Graphics (SVGs)
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) is an image format that enables greater user interactivity and device adaptability.
Consider using SVGs instead of raster graphics, particularly for icons and logos. Unlike raster graphics, SVGs maintain their resolution based on image paths rather than pixels, ensuring that they stay consistent at any size.
6. Test each version on actual devices
For a better understanding of the user experience on your website, make sure you test it on multiple devices. You can ask users to test each version of your site and provide feedback on any confusing or frustrating moments they encounter while navigating.
This will help you identify potential usability issues and improve the overall user experience.
7. Optimize images
When designing websites, images are often used as the main focal point. For example, many homepages have a single, high-resolution photograph as their background. To make sure that your images remain visually appealing and match your intended design, it’s important to optimize them. This involves cropping your images to fit the display dimensions of each device and assigning different resolutions for each device type. This ensures that users with smaller displays can still access your site and load smaller-resolution images.
The wrap-up
Responsive Web Design is no longer something designers “should consider,” you must embed it in your standard best practices and workflow.
In fact, you should prioritize mobile over your desktop experience with a mobile-first or progressive enhancement design approach.
