Inconsistent window widths, screen resolutions, user preferences, and our users’ installed fonts are but a few of the intangibles we negotiate when we publish our work, and over the years, we’ve become incredibly adept at doing so.īut the landscape is shifting, perhaps more quickly than we might like. Our work is defined by its transience, often refined or replaced within a year or two. Working on the web, however, is a wholly different matter. Creative decisions quite literally shape a physical space, defining the way in which people move through its confines for decades or even centuries. Each phase of the architectural process is more immutable, more unchanging than the last. Implementation: CSSĪlthough not readily embraced, responsive design, in its most basic form at least, has been around since CSS 2.3 days of design, code, and content for web & UX designers & devs.Ī building’s foundation defines its footprint, which defines its frame, which shapes the facade. Instead, using content as the starting point, flexible, grid-based layouts are being used to build HTML coded wireframes from the off. No longer is it efficient to start with a set of static wireframes or Photoshop concepts and then move on to HTML markup. This mapping of content that fluidly changes with the size of the device has meant that the traditional ‘waterfall’ method of design has become less effective. only those elements necessary for the mobile view to succeed, then add extra design components as the browser increases in size. Start with mobile (or the smallest applicable device) content, too: i.e. Think about what content is really necessary for your site.
WEBSITE RESPONSIVE LAYOUT HOW TO
So, now we know what RWD is and what some of the big challenges are, it’s time to actually start thinking about how to go about building the site. It’s like going to the cinema and being able to tilt the picture so it suits your viewpoint best. With responsive web design, the end user’s browsing experience is optimally rendered for their viewing environment, no matter what the device. RWD casts aside the need to attempt a ‘one size fits all’ approach, which traditionally involves building a site for the lowest spec platform applicable or assuming a higher level of support, which may not be suitable for all users, let alone all browsers. Many of these challenges all boil down to one thing: different devices. Testing: how can we test a RWD website on all of the different devices on which it might be accessed?.Pixel density: how do web developers produce content that looks just as good on HiDPI large desktop displays as it does on small devices with pixel densities of 150 DPI?.Asset management: large images and other media can be scaled down to fit smaller devices, but how do we combat the page bloat and slow site speed that this can create?.