Factors For Responsive Design

Responsive design is popular now because of the number of tablets and smartphones in the market. The number of users accessing the Internet via a device other than a desktop computer is rapidly increasing, making it necessary for developers to think about all the different ways their information is being viewed.

So what do you need to know about responsive design? This article covers some important concepts.
Responsive design is not mobile design

While responsive design is a great technique for rendering content on mobile devices, it is not mobile design. Responsive design is "whole web design."

Yes, responsive techniques should work on mobile devices. It can even be argued that the design process may even start with mobile, but it is so much more than that. The best responsive sites can be viewed as intended on desktops at a variety of resolutions, from the common 1024x768 pixels to 800x600, 1366x768, and 1920x1080 displays. Those same sites also look amazing on tablets, with both standard and retina displays, and smart phones.


Responsive design is good for SEO

Responsive design improves search engine optimization. For anyone building a website with branding, sales, or visibility in mind, this benefit alone is enough reason to consider using a responsive design scheme.

Because a responsive web design all lives in one place with one URL, as opposed to multiple pages targeting mobile formats, linking remains simple. Redirects don't take away from the main site and advertising campaigns (such as those using Google AdWords) all point to one location.

Navigation is key

The era of the dropdown menu may be over. Simple navigation is a key feature of many responsively designed websites.

Dropdown menus don't work very well with touch. Navigation must work for users who click or tap. Larger navigation elements are also becoming more popular. Again, touch devices are driving this trend because a minimum size of 44x44 pixels is most comfortable for users when tapping user interface elements on mobile devices.

Responsive design will evolve

Responsive design as it exists now is not a perfect solution; it is just part of an evolving process. As technology and user habits change and new devices hit the market, practices for how the web is used and developed will adjust.

Web users are already using a variety of devices to view most websites. Right now there are just too many devices and too many options to create a site that is perfect on every one. Not considering browser sizes, eight of the most popular devices have six different horizontal widths:

· iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 – 640 pixels

· iPad first and second generation – 1024 pixels

· iPad3 – 2048 pixels

· Samsung Galaxy Note – 1280 pixels

· Microsoft Surface – 1366 pixels

· Google Nexus 7 – 2560 pixels

When you make your site responsive, it will be even more intuitive and it will provide a consistent experience regardless of the device, even as new devices are released.