The Fundamentals of Responsive Web Design for Improving User Experience

Some years a little while back, the only screen that people knew was the television in the sitting room. But at current rates, mobile and personal devices are more rapt than desktops or large screens. Smartphones are the new bomb because they are smaller, lighter and easier to carry and well-integrated. That’s why a responsive site is very integral web design.

What is responsive design?

Simply put, a responsive web design is a code and layout the design that makes it fit into the device in which the user is operating with. It aids the make the screen to adjust to the capabilities and sizes in screen resolution. It should be able to be compatible to the ergonomically design and environmental effects that could influence. This aims to appease to user’s satisfaction, performance boosts and flexibility.

Knowing how to use CSS media app is key to manipulating and adapting user’s preferences as they switch from one device type to another.

Why is responsive design so important?

It makes your web site to be more mobile-friendlier, it enhances its resolution and layout fitness to suit ubiquitous use and manoeuvrability. The recent trends show that many people access the web through smart phones that desktop computers or pcs. This will aid to improve brand awareness and SEO on search engines when users search the web with their phones. It has become a leading industry practice to reach out to a wide range of customers, keep them glued and make it easier for them to surf through your site. It will make images easier to load and faster to respond giving your site a professional look. You can learn more from Google developer website.

What website dimensions should I design for?

There are so many dimensions to choose from as we live in a multi-screen society. You have to check Google Analytics to see the sizes are most adaptable to most of your customers, it is required that the screen can switch from portrait and to landscape. You can only concentrate on these 3 key functions:

Try designing at least 3 layouts:

3 browser widths are the standard a responsive site should possess for different widths. The users must be able to choose for himself/herself the size desired.

·  Small: under 600px. This is more suitable for smart phones

·  Medium: 600px – 900px. iPads, Tablets, big screen smart phones

·  Large: over 900px. Desktops and laptops are in this category.

Every one of these layouts should be delicately design and placed to display the same graphics across these different platforms still keeping it clear enough to be seen by the naked eye. A professional WordPress web design company will know how to properly build these layouts.

Things to think about:

·  User experience is key: how comfortable and easy customers move through your site can make or break the efficacy of your site. The longer it takes to load picture/images, slow in reacting to queries and multitasking could decide whether your traffic increases or not.

·   Don’t make the design for the latest mobile device with a specific screen dimension. Your content is what should be given the most consideration. Will everything you have uploaded (CSS and HTML) on your site’s web version be compatible on the mobile version?

·  Engagement: the most important or prominent feature/information that you want to pass across more swiftly and expediently should be given more attention. You will have to economise the space to carry all relevant information but some have to be prioritised. The mobile screen it not large enough to contain bulky contents and navigate freely. That’s why you have to put things in hierarchy. 

·  Flexible images make the mobile screen a delight to use. As long as the images are clear and scalable, most people opt to use their smart phones to browse contents online. With the rise of touch screen phones, it has become imperative to ensure that the images can automatically reset and support a robust functionality.

·   Navigation is very pertinent on mobile. Arranging the menu and content accordingly can be very tricky because you want it placed where it can provide visibility and clarity. Tabs, dropdown selection, hamburger style menu, expand/collapse are some of the various styles you can choose.

·  Gestures: like I stated earlier, a lot of smart phones are touch screen, so it allows the user to zoom or shift the screen as they like. This is going to be a future trend as to expected. That’s why designers need to be cautious of the GUI in the code so as to make it flexible to be used across a variety of devices.

·   Design web page at least 3 versions for different browser widths. Have in mind that your target audience always comes first before the general public. The market segment or customer base you aim to capture are what you should guide your vision and strategy. You must have a design that is suitable for a large pool of users and influence positive experiences on them. 600px, 600px-900px and 900px are the most advisable for now. It has to be dynamic and cut across to many users seamlessly.

·  Tools and resources

·  Your web browser can pre-test your designs and immediately lead to discovery of design flaws or human error. Running a test through other browsers is quite interesting because of the feedback will provide you with information that might save you face if you had handed over the project. Test it yourself before you require others to use it

·  Your mobile device is another tool. Same as above, use your own device first to run the site on mobile version.

·   Fluid grids are basic percentage values calculations you must know. Converting set pixels to achieve the target device and place the elements you want to arrange in order. 1% CSS Grid is quite nice if you can use it

·   Google’s resizer is an excellent tool you can use to preview and test run your site on different devices.

·   Media queries can be used to change the layout of a page based on the orientation of browsers and also to hide elements on various screen sizes and change front sizes. It helps you to modify your site based on the device type, specific characteristics and view. The code can be used to target media types, features and devices.

I’m sure by now you are aware of everything about responsive design,right?!

So, you have it, although it can be quite daunting for newbies, you can improve your skill be keeping up with the latest trends, practices and what others in your niche are doing. Know your clients well and understand that their perception is most pertinent. Design to suit the target population and skill level. A lot of companies provide responsive website design services. So if you mastered the skills they might hire you.