Back in March I introduced the subject of responsive web design. It has certainly been the most discussed topic this year and has shaken the whole web design community. Many have been quick to adopt this new approach in their designs.
But does responsive design make sense for business?
The short answer is: it all depends on your audience, time and budget.
Long term vs. short term
If you are thinking long-term and building a site from the ground up then there is probably no better way currently to future proof your website and ensure it works on a variety of devices. However if you are looking for a quick fix to an existing design then you are probably best sticking with what you know and implementing responsive practices in the future.
Cheap solutions vs. the right solution
Many business’s are on a tight budget and require something just to tick the boxes. While spending less money now may seem like a safe approach, the financial costs in future for not having thought about a responsive solution can be high. In some cases a designer or developer may have to rethink your site from scratch anyway.
Know your audience
Using analytics to determine screen sizes and the devices being used to browse your website can provide insights into whether it is time to consider a responsive design. In particular if there is a wide range of results then the overall user experience and customer satisfaction would no doubt benefit from such a solution.
Conclusion: Is responsive design right for you?
From my perspective the positives certainly outweigh the negatives when looking at the overall user experience and creating an adaptable website which works no matter what device you use. Also if you are looking to future proof your website it is certainly a step in the right direction and may save potential future costs.
What are your thoughts on responsive design?
Leave a comment below I would love to hear your opinions.
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I think this was an interesting article. We can say that responsive web design is a hot topic these days, especially as websites need to adapt to the growing number of mobile devices with their relatively small screens. Thanks for sharing such useful article.
Great article, thanks for sharing. A few of our clients have already noticed a need for Responsive Web Design. In our opinion, this will be the BIG trend for web design in 2012.
Glad you enjoyed the article, I find clients still need to be nurtured a bit with regards to what responsive design is but I think once they see the benefits there will definitely be a big need for it.
Responsive design looks fantastic for content pages, but how well does it work for sites with complex functionality – a shopping cart, for example, or a hotel reservation system? I’d love to see some examples of responsive design applied to more complex sites.