First, and most importantly, designing a website that functions properly on a laptop, tablet, and mobile device allows you to stay relevant in the marketplace. Individuals now rely on mobile devices and tablets predominately to occupy them when they are on the go. Thus, making sure that your website functions appropriately on these platforms will ensure that consumers are always able to reach you for any wants or needs. All it takes is one time for someone to try and access your site to no avail to forever deter them from your business/product(s).

Secondly, design your website to fit on all platforms if for no other reason than to save you money. For instance, if you design a website at the same size as the iPad you will save yourself time and money when bringing your site live. If you require resizing and designing a site according to platform you are virtually asking for a complete redesign and layout. This can be very expensive. Not only does this trick save you money and time but it also makes navigating your site easier for visitors as you don’t have to readjust to a new design depending on what device you are using.

BostonGlobe.com, an example of HTML5 Responsive Design

Responsive web design has its roots in emerging responsive architecture. This way of designing rooms and spaces incorporates technology that automatically adjusts according to the number of occupants or the flow of people. For example, some climate control systems can adjust a room’s temperature and ambient lighting as it fills with people. Responsive web design applies that idea to website technologies. Using this approach, websites will be able to respond to the user’s behavior and environment to adjust screen size, platform, and orientation. Using a mix of flexible grids, layouts, images, and an intelligent use of CSS media queries, the responsive web design senses the appropriate resolution image size and scripting abilities necessary for that particular device or medium. If the user transitions from a laptop to their iPad, the website should automatically respond to the user’s preferences. Web developers using responsive web design will provide the best experience possible to the user in terms of navigability and readability. This advancement would eliminate the need for a different design and development phase for each new gadget on the market.

Keep in mind that responsive web design is not simply reducing font sizes and resizing a picture. Rather, designers and web developers collaborate to determine how to reorganize the elements according to resolution, establish which elements may be unnecessary, and preserve concepts while simplifying structure.

A benefit of responsive web design is that it doesn’t require a lot of learning to use, and it can be a great deal less stressful than learning how to code and design for each device on the market. While it is not the final answer to the continuously- changing mobile world, is can improve the user experience. With responsive web design, we have the ability to create custom experiences for a wider range of users, on a wider range of devices.