What is responsive Website design and what problems does it solve?

Wondering what is responsive design? The desire to have fluid and responsive websites has been around since the beginning of the web. Non-standard view port size variation has always been an issue of consideration when building a website. Responsive Website design is a technique used that makes a website display differently and appropriately on the device it is being viewed. It is based on a fluid grid system achieved with media queries and floating elements that fill a space whose size and position are determined by the viewport size of the device on which the site is being viewed.

It is innovative because it solves the problem of delivering relevant information to a myriad of devices — which are rapidly increasingly in popularity as tools to access information with — without having to maintain multiple versions of the same information.

With the introduction of HTML5 and CSS3 along with javascript and increased browser capability, designers now have the ability to not only create more dynamic websites but anticipate a user’s situation based on the device they are using and deliver more relevant content. For example, a car insurance company can safely assume that a smart phone user will need to access information like agent contact information and towing information more quickly than rate comparisons or company history. Thus enriching the experience and making for a better user experience (UX).

How does responsive Web design change the way marketers approach a Web project?

Marketers should now first be asking the questions: 1) Does there need to be a separate mobile version of this site? If the answer is no, the site should be responsive. If you do not have a website that is responsive and you do not have a separate mobile version of your website you are neglecting a growing percentage of potential customers.

If User Experience Design isn’t a top consideration to you then you are not doing Web design and Marketing correctly. If you don’t consider how your website is viewed on all devices then you are not doing User Experience Design correctly. With a little planning up front (and proper coding) your site can (and should) convey the same level of user experience on all devices.