Did you know that over half of all Internet browsers these days are using a mobile device to search the web? That means that mobile phones and tablets are quickly dethroning laptops and computers as the number one tool that people use to connect to the Internet. But unfortunately, website design has always been centered around what looks good on a computer screen. Go to any website design template, and you’ll see a wide rectangle, meant to fill a computer screen. To meet the growing need for websites that look just as good on mobile devices, responsive web design has begun to lead the way in web design trends.
Here in Denver, CO, we offer fully responsive web design for many different types of sites. But what exactly does “responsive” web design mean?
Responsive Web Design Saves You a Big Headache
Before responsive web design, website owners had only one option: if they wanted their website to work for mobile users, they had to create an entirely new, secondary website that was only meant for mobile use. It was designed to be a small, upright rectangle, like a phone screen, and used fewer graphics, clearer font, and easier navigating.
Responsive web design changed that. Instead of creating two websites, web designers can create just one. If they use a web design that is responsive, it means that all the elements on the website will respond to whatever screen the user is viewing from. So a regular full-size computer screen website will automatically shrink to the size of a mobile device if it is accessed from a phone. It can also re-orient itself if the phone user then turns their phone on its side.
How is Responsive Web Design Created?
The responsive website is created with two different coding languages: HTML and CSS. The HTML codebase will be used across all the devices, while the CSS codebase will change the appearance of the website based on the device accessing the page. This CSS codebase will move elements around and enlarge them to create a better viewing experience for a mobile user. So a webpage with three columns will become a single column, just much longer and with larger text.
It seems simple now, but this was a revolutionary design when it first hit the scene. It saves web designers a lot of hassle and makes serving customers on all their devices a breeze.
