Responsive Web Design Best Practices

In the early years of web computing, websites were only designed and made to be viewed using desktop computers. The evolution and changes in technology made desktop-only web browsing a thing of the past. Websites were created to have a one size fits all screen size. But with the introduction of modern computing devices, this can no longer be applied. Varying screen sizes have pushed web designers to adapt to a more responsive web design.

Let’s explore the different responsive web design best practices in this article:

What are the qualities of a responsive web design?

According to a book titled “Responsive Web Design” by Ethan Marcotte, there are certain qualities that a responsive web design should have. Learning these qualities can help a website designer to create websites that can easily adapt to any screen size. The qualities of a responsive web design are the following:

• Grid-based Layout – Use a grid-based layout instead of going for a fixed one. Make use of flexible pixels that are proportionate regardless of size changes.
• Flexible photos, image, and videos – When it comes to media content, use media such as video and images that can be resized and scaled through percentages and not through fixed pixels widths.
• Media Queries – This technique in CSS3 enables dynamic layout changes in a website.

How should “mobile-only” websites be utilized?

Different businesses and companies often in the past have implemented a “mobile-only” website in response to creating the optimum user experience in web browsing. With the influx of mobile devices, many websites today still utilize this option.

However, ‘’mobile-only’’ websites are not perfect. For web designers, it can mean double the work. There are two websites that need maintenance and development, one for desktop viewing and the other for mobile viewing. This is where creating a responsive website is advantageous as the web designer only has to develop and maintain one website.

Utilizing “mobile-only” websites are great if you have ample resources and time. But going with one responsive website made for both large and small screens is a better option.

What are the current responsive web design best practices?

Implementing changes to what was usually done in web browsing is already one of the best practices of today. A responsive website design is Google’s top recommendation when it comes to accommodating different devices with different screen sizes.

New devices are introduced every now and then. With responsive website designs, every web designer should incorporate mobile-friendly practices in each of their web designs. This will be beneficial to a website’s visitor and to its search engine ranking.

Responsive is only a good web design needs to take into account. Also remember the value in effective user experience in creating a great website.