If you’ve found yourself asking: ‘What is responsive design?’ or ‘What is a responsive website?’ this blog is for you.
We’ll take a look at exactly what it means, why it’s so vital for businesses to have it and how to go about implementing it.
What is responsive design and why is it important?
A website that’s designed to be responsive is one that offers a well presented and easy to use format regardless of the device it’s being viewed on. The website will need to be fluid, changing layout and appearance based on the orientation and sizes of different devices.
What is responsive UI design?
UI stands for User Interface. So, responsive UI design, put simply, applies to the process of designing how a website will appear on different devices. Zooming in alone won’t make your website look appealing – legible in places, even. Responsive design displays the same information to all device types; however, it is laid out differently based on the space that’s available on each device.
What is responsive UX design?
UX is the abbreviation for User Experience. So, responsive UX design is the process of creating user interfaces that work on different devices and screen sizes for a consistently smooth user experience across the board.
With all this in mind, why is it so necessary for today’s businesses to have responsive websites? There are many benefits to be had by having one and potential lost opportunities if you don’t, including:
- By covering all devices, you’ll be reaching more users. And subsequently, more potential clients. The flip side of this is that you could miss out on business by not having a responsive website.
- Improved SEO. With the rise in mobile browsing, Google and other search engines are prioritising mobile friendly websites in their search results. So, a mobile first website has a better chance of appearing higher in results and being found.
- It’s well documented that you only have one chance to make a first impression. You have a much greater chance of impressing first-time visitors to your website with responsive design.
- You will not only attract more users, you’ll also be more likely to keep them interested in your web pages and content. More engagement typically leads to more conversions.
- A user-friendly website will help users navigate it more easily, finding the information they need quickly.
- It can save on development and maintenance as only one codebase is required, potentially saving you time and money.
What is responsive UI framework?
A responsive UI framework is a web development tool created to make responsive website design easier. It provides pre-written code for designing responsive user interfaces that work across different devices and screen sizes.
There are different frameworks available, so if you’re looking into making your website responsive, it will be worth doing some research into which would serve you best first.
What is mobile first design?
A mobile first design prioritises the mobile experience for the user over the desktop experience. Instead of creating the website for larger screens, then scaling down for mobile devices, it’s designed for mobile devices first and then rescaled for desktops.
If you are thinking of using this approach, your website will need to be responsive.
According to Forbes, device usage to access the web in the UK is as follows:
- Laptops and computers – 48%
- Smart phones – 47%
- Tablets and related devices – 4%
- Other devices – 0.11%
So, there is a good argument for selecting the mobile first approach.
The key is your website being responsive, whichever way around you choose.
How to make a UI design responsive
To make a UI design responsive, keeping the following points in mind will help:
Layouts and grids
A fluid and flexible grid layout will be your best friend, so start here. A fluid layout is one that adapts to the width of the device your website is being viewed on, meaning the columns in your design will be wider on a larger screen and narrower on a smaller one. A flexible layout enables the elements on a page to adjust in size to fit the space available, meaning images and text and other content will resize without distorting.
If you’ve been looking into responsive design, you may have heard of Flexbox. It’s a current industry standard for layouts. Although Grid is transformational when it comes to page layout, Flexbox remains the most effective way to order items within segments. It is absolutely worth understanding what Flexbox can do.
Flexible images
You will also need to use images that are flexible. They should be able to resize to sit in the available space without distorting. Crisp, clear images can be impactful and engaging. They need to be this way across all devices. Larger blurry images or pixelated ones on smaller screens are likely to switch visitors off and make them leave your website.
When using responsive images, remember to use the right formats, optimise them and test them on different devices.
Breakpoints and media queries
And you will have to use breakpoints and media queries. These enable you to specify screen widths or conditions of devices that mean the layout and style of the website should change.
Breakpoints are programmed points in the design where a substantial layout adjustment is required for an optimal user experience. Generally, these points are decided based on common device resolutions or sizes.
Media queries are CSS rules that enable you to instruct how your website design should behave on varying sized screens. In case you’re wondering: ‘What is responsive CSS?’ it is a method used to develop website properties that enable code and design to respond to a device’s screen size.
Typography that adjusts
Naturally, you’ll want all information on your website to be crystal clear. This means paying attention to every type of content that’s going to be displayed. If your website visitors can’t read about your products or services easily, you’re much more likely to lose their interest. So, it’s vital to get the typography right across the board.
Consider:
- Font size: On smaller screens you may want to make lettering larger so it’s easier to read, whereas on larger screens, you might want to make sure lines of text aren’t too full.
- Line lengths: This leads us on nicely to the length of lines of copy. Aim to make it so your website visitors don’t have to scan excessively, having to use excessive eye movement on smaller screens. And on larger screens, layout text so it’s just right and readers won’t have to keep skipping down to the next line too quickly. These things make for a more comfortable reading experience.
- Line heights: Be mindful of the spacing between lines of copy. This also needs attention, so lines and paragraphs of text will be easy to read, without there being too much white space and an empty feel. Smaller screens need slightly larger line heights and larger screens need line height to give good visual balance.
- Typeface choice: The typeface you choose will also determine how easy it is to read the information displayed, particularly on smaller screens. Make sure it’s clear and suitable for different sized screens, as well as aligning it with your brand.
Relative units
Relative units provide a great deal more flexibility and scalability than absolute units, so they are much more suited to responsive website design.
You may have heard of the 8pt grid system which has become the standard in the world of the web. Simply put, 8pt describes the base space unit; all UI elements are relative to it, including spacing and typography.
Determining spacing by way of pixels is a rigid way to do things. Pixels are the unit most commonly used in website design.
Typically, the only element that should be sized in pixels is the global font size. Every other element should be in relative units.
Usable forms
Making forms easy to complete will give you a much greater chance of getting your website visitors to use them to contact you. Ensuring autofill is working effectively for name, address and bank card fields is a good place to start. Aim to stick to standard input forms with autofill where possible.
Touch friendliness and clickability
Touch friendliness has become increasingly important. Touch devices, such as tablets and smartphones necessitate intuitive and easy to use interactions to enhance the user experience and keep them engaged.
The following tips should help when applying touch friendliness to your responsive design:
- Larger touchable elements are easy to use. Think clear menus and big buttons.
- Clear, concise and consistent labels will help guide users so they can be clear about what they’re interacting with.
- Smooth animations that are responsive will add visual appeal and engage your website visitors. Be sure that they don’t slow the user experience down.
- Test interactions comprehensively on all types of devices if you can. Make sure they’re working efficiently. If they’re not, you can adjust them accordingly before publishing your responsive website.
- Use a mobile first approach to ensure your interactions are optimised for touch devices.
Performance optimisation
The speed, efficiency and performance of your website plays an important part in keeping visitors engaged. When it comes to UI/UX design, it’s the reduction of loading times, minimising resource consumption and smooth, responsive interactions you need to focus on.
The following tips are designed to help you in this area:
- Compress and minimise file sizes, for example, images, CSS files and JavaScript files for faster loading times.
- Pay attention to caching and browser storage as done right, less repeated downloads are needed which improves the loading speed of further interactions or visits.
- Utilising a Content Delivery Network (CDN), helps with delivery of static assets, including images and scripts from servers that are located nearer to the user geographically.
- Applying Lazy Loading defers the loading of resources that aren’t critical, like images or webpage sections, until they’re needed. This makes for a faster perceived performance.
- Minimise HTTP requests where possible. And combine files with the use of CSS sprites for images, for example.
- Regular testing and monitoring your website performance is really important. Check for slow-loading elements, bottlenecks and performance issues. You can use browser developer tools or other resources like WebPageTest to help you analyse metrics and pick up insights for optimisation.
- As mobile devices are being so regularly used, capitalise on this by optimising performance for mobile platforms.
By doing these things, you will cultivate a seamless user experience.
Testing
We’ve touched on testing for performance but it’s also important to carry out regular cross-browser and cross-device testing. Cross-browser testing ensures your website looks and performs well in different browsers. And cross-device testing ensures it does the same across all devices. Doing these checks ensures your website is accessible to all and gives you the opportunity to fix any issues so visitors can enjoy a favourable user experience. Compatibility issues can also be rectified.
You can perform these tests manually or use automated or cloud-based testing. Manual testing is a comprehensive way to conduct tests, though it can take time.
Be mindful to test your website on different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android and Linux.
Why responsive UI design is difficult
With many website designers not fully grasping the principles of responsive design and frontend developers often reluctant to accept responsibility for it, responsive design can prove to be tricky. It’s not a clear-cut situation.
The design tools don’t all enable truly responsive design and website designers can’t take full accountability for it unless they get into code mode. At the same time, frontend engineers aren’t geared up for making decisions about design in code.
If you are set on creating a responsive website, ideally, you’ll bring together a designer or design team and frontend engineer or engineers to work collaboratively. The end result is highly likely to be worth it.
FAQs
What is responsive website design?
Responsive website design is the process of formatting a website so it will have both an impressive appearance and functionality, no matter the device it is being viewed or used on.
How do I make my website mobile responsive?
If you’ve been wondering: ‘How to make my website responsive’, start by using a fluid and flexible grid layout. Use flexible images and breakpoints and media queries. Ensure your typography will be clear and legible across all devices and use relative units. Make sure forms are easy to use and be mindful of touch friendliness. Finally, check your website’s performance across the board and test this regularly.
How do I make my WordPress website mobile responsive?
You can choose a mobile friendly theme for a WordPress website. Start here for a seamless and optimised user experience across different devices. If you are using a third-party theme, make sure it is mobile friendly. Remember to check your new website is mobile friendly before publishing it.
How do I make my website responsive on all devices?
Making sure you have covered all the points we’ve outlined under How to make a UI design responsive will ensure you have a fully optimised, fully functioning and well laid out website that can be used on all devices.
What are the best screen sizes for responsive website design?
The most common screen resolutions are:
Mobile:
- 360×800
- 390×844
- 414×896
- 393×873
- 412×915
Desktop:
- 1920×1080
- 1366×768
- 1440×900
- 1280×720
- 1280×1024
