Website design is a crucial part of modern-day business. Because of this, it should be a focus of businesses who hope to succeed online. We already have a good understanding of web design, but why responsive web design? We’ll be looking at what responsive design is and the purpose of a responsive website.
What is web design?
Firstly, we need to understand the basics. I’m sure a lot of you are already aware of what web design is, but just in case, here is our definition “It is the process of designing websites for style, user experience and conversions, without the development.” Now we’ve got the basics covered, we need to look at how this differs from responsive web design.
Responsive website meaning?
So we now know website design is all about the look and feel of a site – but what is responsive web design? ‘Responsive’ indicates it is adaptable, meaning the website changes as it is being used. This allows it to be tailored to an individual’s screen size, layout or preferences, no matter if they have a small screen.
Responsive Design Examples
There are plenty of great examples of responsive website design, but we’ll stick with the format we’re sure you will know about – mobiles. Mobile friendly websites are responsive because they change and adapt the design and user experience based on screen size. Intelligent design makes a big difference to a user’s experience in this example. Poorly made creations can lead to buttons being too small for thumbs and information not being fully visible on the screen.
How is Responsive Website Design Different?
This might seem like an add on to web design work – and in some respects, it is – but there’s such a wide range of variables involved, it means that responsive design and development can take a lot longer. Adapting web pages and designs for every screen option takes more time. Because of this, it is crucial that as a consumer or client you ensure your designs will be responsive.
Different types of Responsive Web Design
Mobiles are not the only version of responsive web design that you’ll come across. Here are a few that we think of as the most important examples:
Mobile Design and Fluid Layouts
We have, of course, already covered this, but its importance can not be overlooked. With 51.2% of global internet use coming from mobiles, its importance is clear. Along with mobile optimised design, fluid layouts and responsive images are also very important. Having layouts that change depending on screen size will vastly improve each user’s experience, no matter what they view your site on smaller screens.
Hover and Animations
Animations and the ability to hover can increase engagement, taking a static and somewhat unappealing design and bringing it to life. Incorporating and developing these abilities can add an extra touch that a lot of websites, sadly, don’t have.
Floating Menus
Floating content and menus, sometimes called sticky menus, give an add-on user experience. Giving the user easy access to navigations, chat boxes and anything else you/your designers think is useful.
Videos
Videos can be integrated into backgrounds and pages, adding to the depth and interest of the design. It also allows for elongated and more engaging user experience.
Interesting Article – Examples of responsive web design
What is the purpose of web design being responsive
Website design in 2020 needs to be responsive to stand out. Static websites are a thing of the past, they lack engagement and individuality. As we mentioned earlier, such a large percentage of us internet users now need that level of responsiveness to use the web. Let’s break this down further and look at the benefits of custom design.
What is Custom Design
Before we jump into the benefits, lets first explain what custom responsive web design is. A custom design agency will build you a bespoke website design that stands alone in its individuality. Adding responsiveness to this means the website will be engaging, stylish and individual to your business needs.
Benefits of using custom design
What are some of the benefits of using tailor-made design solutions?
Created The Way You Want it
Bespoke design is just that, designing a website to your needs. By doing this, you can rest assured the website will meet your expectations. Why is this useful for a responsive website? It means displaying and enhancing certain parts of your business through custom design.
No One Else Has it
There are plenty of premade templates out there that can get the job done. But, this means plenty of other businesses will already have your design. With a custom style sheet and responsive design, it’s almost impossible for another business to look and feel like yours.
Faster Performance
Responsive and custom design means webpages can run faster. Cutting out unwanted elements, activating animations and load in animations means the content doesn’t all load at once. This, in turn, allows web pages to have less to load in and speeds up website display.
Is Responsive Web Design For You?
Responsive web design, in our opinion, is a step that any online business should take. With such a large amount of people using websites – and over half of them using mobiles for this – it is definitely worth the extra time. The benefits of higher engagement and user experience outweigh this time and? cost.
If you’re not 100% convinced or want to find out more, get in touch. Our responsive web design agency is here to help you. Use the contact details found in the footer or the ‘drop us a message’ section below to get in contact for responsive web design in London. You can also check out our website design page for more information.