5 Point Checklist for Responsive Web Design

responsive_web_designResponsive web design is a growing trend within the industry because it simplifies things by offering one solution, rather than many. Responsive design is likely to grow more popular as more users switch to using smartphones and tablets, and web designers will choose to focus solely on one design and not have to worry if their website looks right on all different screen sizes and resolutions. According to a recent infograph provided by VentureBeat, the average number of unique screen resolutions in 2010 was 97, and the average number of unique screen resolutions in 2013 was 232, further backing the need for responsive web design.

In addition to providing the statistics of unique screen resolution, the infograph also provided a five point checklist to help decide whether your company should use responsive web design. The five points are listed as follows:

  1. Does your website actually need it?: Consider if responsive web design will help optimize your website, and research how many of your sales take place on a desktop computer. If your users don’t visit your website on mobile devices, responsive web design may just be a luxury for your firm.
  2. Do you have the budget?: Responsive web design is not the cheapest form of web design. When you are weighing the costs and benefits, think not just about now, but about the near and long term future and whether responsive web design will be needed then.
  3. Can your team handle it?: Responsive web design is considerably different from traditional forms of web design, and your IT team may need additional training, or you may have to seek additional consultation.
  4. Are you ok with design limitations?: In order for your website to be able to run on mobile devices and desktops the same way, you may need to sacrifice more advanced aspects of web design. If you would rather have a more advanced web design for the desktop version of your website, responsive web design may not be for you.
  5. Will you maximize the opportunity?: As stated before, responsive web design is expensive. If you’re willing to dig into your budget and make the leap to responsive web design, your company should be prepared to offer the right content for the right users.

Responsive web design is one of the more interesting growing trends in the industry, but in order for it to be successful, companies should review a similar checklist to the one above. But even if not needed now, responsive web design may be the right choice for your company in the future, as smartphones and tablets begin to replace laptops and desktops.

If you are interested in responsive web design, contact us.

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Published On: Sep 23, 2013