Responsive Design

Instead of building mobile-switched sites (i.e. m.websitename.com), many innovative designers and developers are now focusing on responsive design. It’s not enough to detect devices and switch users anymore. Mobile users are looking for a more fully integrated experience.

With 55% of Internet usage in the U.S. coming through mobile devices, the best shops are doing mobile-first design and treating desktop and laptop design as secondary. Responsive design allows the layout to adjust based on the contextual experience of users. This means site designs need to be built so they respond to the width of the device, regardless of the gadget type. In more extreme cases, functionality itself can even switch, providing an even more contextually optimized experience.

In fact, Google is even encouraging responsive design to improve the SEO for your site, as it reduces the necessity for multiple subdomains and duplicated content. Mobile versions of websites are a trend of the past; now, you’d be foolish not to design with mobile in mind from the start.

Heavier focus on mobile

Now that responsive Web design is becoming more common place, we are starting to see websites dig deeper into our mobile lifestyles. Designers are increasingly working on keeping their sites functioning on mobile devices, but developers are taking it a step further to help along with the fact that so many more devices are accessing the Web, and so many more users are using their phones to browse the Web.

Wondering what some things are being done? Integration with social media, asking for email subscriptions, long scrolling sites (see below), and fast loading sites all help make the mobile Web a more friendlier place.