Embracing responsive web design is something that all modern sites should do in order to remain relevant in an increasingly mobile market.
Increases in smartphone and tablet ownership have lead to a sea change in browsing habits, with over two thirds of adults in the UK now using high end mobiles and 4G coverage providing superfast wireless connectivity to three quarters of the country.
This means that while desktop PCs and laptops are still widely used, they may well have become a secondary browsing device in the eyes of many users. And so sites cannot afford to remain behind the curve and stick with a design that is not optimised for mobility.
Modern Design Ethos
There are a number of ways to tackle the mobile issue, with the traditional approach being to create a distinct mobile site that is separate from the standard desktop domain and to which visitors using portable products are redirected. But with responsive design this is no longer necessary, as a single site can accommodate visitors from a range of platforms without ostracising anyone.
In addition businesses that are seeking to embrace mobility in a big way can harness the services provided by companies which offer web design that can help sites to cope with emerging browsing habits. For example Auto locksmiths Southend way know that with the right connections there business will really grow.
Major retailers have been quick to jump on the responsive design bandwagon, motivated by the fact that more and more customers are relying on portable devices to help shape their buying experience.
Making Moves
The pressures exerted upon sites to increase conversions, boost revenues and generally behave in a way that is beneficial to the underlying business can be great. But what responsive design achieves is a level of cohesion and consistency that is difficult to replicate with other approaches. It might, for example, be reasonable to create a dedicated smartphone or tablet app in an attempt to tap into the mindset of modern consumers. But this still creates a division between the standard site and the secondary app, meaning that there will be differences in such matters as interface, functionality and the services which are accessible.
These problems are eradicated if you take the responsive design route, since it means that the full desktop site with all of its features will remain intact and entirely accessible from smartphones and tablets, but with an interface that is elastic and intuitive enough to be interacted with via a touchscreen display rather than a mouse and keyboard.
That is not to say that responsive design is without its challenges, because this is of course a spectrum and there are poorly optimised sites which are ostensibly responsive but make one or two major mistakes. But the overall impact of responsive web design can be for the good, especially if it is embraced by a company that is willing to keep up with evolving tastes and also procure the assistance of experienced, forward-thinking agencies to help them with the transitions ahead.