Responsive web design is becoming more and more important these days due to the fact that more and more people are browsing and searching for websites using their mobile devices. Responsive design enables websites to adjust to the device being used to view it, so if you use a smaller screen to check out a website, it adjusts to make it easier for you to read. You won’t have to scroll the screen from side to side in order to read what is on the page you are viewing.
For you to ensure that the site you are building will indeed be responsive here are some tips and tricks that can help:
Start with responsive design already in your sights – don’t start with a website that is not designed to be responsive then suddenly think that you want to go responsive in the middle of developing such a site. This means that you need to begin with a layout that is made for a website that has its sights on being responsive, as well as elements that work well with such a design.
Ensure that your images can easily adapt to size changes – there are actually tools that help make your images adapt easily to the changing sizes it will go through with responsiveness. Choose the best one for your needs and use it to help your images become as flexible as possible when a change in size is required. Also, make sure your file sizes are as small as they can be without compromising on quality. This can be done by using the right file type for your images.
Carefully think out your navigation – this is one point that is rather contentious when it comes to responsive website design. Some people think that you should utilize a hidden menu with the use of a hamburger icon, and others think that a simplified navigation is better. This is a case to case basis decision, with your choice depending on how many levels of navigation your site has and which is most convenient for your visitors in your opinion.
Remove what is not essential to your site – too many elements can destroy a supposedly easy to navigate site. Do not mess up your website by adding in things that it does not really need, and that can mean quite a number of things. Getting rid of the unnecessary not only helps with improving user experience, but it also helps improve your website’s speed. It also helps improve how it looks overall since it won’t have that cluttered look that most overloaded sites have.
Plan your content for optimal results – there are some things that do not need to be on your site, and some content that can be better for users if these are either eliminated or shortened. To avoid the need for removing content or editing these to simpler forms, plan what your content is going to be ahead of time. This will help you come up with content that is ideal for all devices, be it mobile or otherwise.
These are just a few of the things you need to remember when you are designing a responsive website. There are still quite a few more things to consider, like site speed, breakpoints, font sizes, and screen orientation. Find out what works best for a responsive site and test these out before implementing or adding these to your own site.
