It’s official, 2013 is the year of responsive web design, but what exactly does this mean and why should you care?

The need for responsive web design began with mobile web browsing. More specifically, the iPhone was one of the first mobile devices to support and feature a fully-functional and intuitive web browser, thus opening the doors to other, more advanced mobile browsing experiences. Since then, the boundaries of mobile browsing have been extended and mobile browsing has begun to supersede foundational web browsing experiences that exist on desktop PCs and laptops. The web browsing landscape has been changed, and, accordingly, an array of mobile hardware devices has found its place on store shelves and in our pockets.

Initially, the changing landscape of web browsers meant that the expectations of users had changed as well. Users expected to be able to browse the web on their smart phones and tablets just as easily as if they were on a desktop computer. In response to these expectations, the web design community began to create mobile versions of their websites. Unfortunately, creating only one “mobile version” for a website is no longer enough. The spectrum of screen sizes and resolutions is widening every day, and creating a single website for each specific size and resolution is simply not practical.

When using responsive web design practices, screen sizes and resolutions are no longer hindrances because the science behind the practice does everything for you! Responsive web design uses a variety of design principles to ensure that a high-quality web browsing experience is delivered to the user no matter how large or small their display, but how does it work? In simple terms, a responsive web design uses code called “media queries” to determine which resolution the user is viewing the website on, and flexible images and fluid grid systems resize in order to properly fit the screen. An easy way to tell if a website is using a responsive design is by making the browser window smaller. If the content of the website resizes and adapts to fit the size of the window, then you are looking at a responsive design.

While all of these features sound promising, you may still be asking yourself why you should care about using a responsive web design for your website. The answer, however, is just as simple as the design itself. Since a responsive design adapts to fit any screen size and any resolution on all desktop, laptop, and mobile devices, only one website needs to be created. Also, responsive designs can be used to detect a user’s device in order to alter the website’s viewing experience and level of interactivity. For instance, on touch devices such as smart phones and tablets, swiping and zoom features can be enabled. The benefits, then, are two-fold. Not only are you saving yourself time and money by creating only one, responsive website design, but you are also offering your users and your clients a higher quality experience tailored to their specific viewing needs. Now is the time to adapt. Now is the time to get responsive.