You may have heard the phrase “Responsive websites” over the past few months and indeed they are being touted as the next big thing in web design, but what are they and how are they likely to impact in the real world.
What is a “Responsive Website?”
Put simply, a responsive websites is a way of designing a website that take into account the fact that it may be viewed on different devices with very different screen sizes (desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone etc). A responsive website is one which will “reconfiure its layout depending on the size of the screen on which it is viewed”, so in theory it will look as good on a small smartphone screen as it does on a 23″ widescreen desktop. Website Design specialists TemplateMonster.com have produced an infographic giving more details on responsive web design – take a look here
Do I need to make sure my website is responsive?
Consider this: “Do I need to make sure my website is appropriate for my market?” Clearly the answer is “yes”. So if your market regularly views your website from a range of different devices then a Responsive website may well be worth considering. Google analytics is a great tool for answering this. It includes extensive stats on the platforms used by visitors to view your website. But be aware that currenly developing a responsive website adds a significant amount of complexity to the design process and thus will add to the development costs. Taking this into consideration, ROI must always be a part of this thought process. To find out more about Google Analytics and Responsive websites, get in touch
