Nowadays, everything around us has changed significantly. We live in the epoch of information, maybe the most valuable currency. That is why the Internet has become so important. It is the biggest source of information ever. It is the place where people make and lose money, run businesses, study, and seek entertainment. Considering the popularity of mobile devices and the ever growing popularity of online shopping, no developer or retailer can ignore the necessity to have a responsive web design for eCommerce sites. Consumers need the opportunity to browse the internet comfortably with their phones and tablets. This means that web designers and developers have to change the way they work. They have to create sites that are user-friendly both for PCs and mobile devices.
What is a responsive website
For a website to be responsive means it automatically adapts to the screen size of the device that opens the site. Generally, there are four different screen sizes responsive websites have to adapt to:
- The screen of desktop computers or the widescreen;
- The reduced screen of laptops;
- The tablet-size screen;
- The mobile screen.
Responsive websites are easier to use, they are more legible and understandable.
How to create a responsive website
Grid system.
The very first thing that makes your website mobile responsive is the grid system. If your goal is to attract more users that will enjoy browsing the website you created, you have to pick fluid grid system. Such system scales depending on the browser and screen size. By picking fluid grid, you fully customize the content of your site, including the number and the size of columns, and the page layout. Luckily, there are many grid generators that may come in handy when making websites responsive for mobile devices.
Fluid grin will allow adjusting the gutters of your site by making tiny elements that are important more visible and accessible.
Touchscreen.
To build a responsive website for mobile devices it is necessary to consider touchscreen approach as the way to interact with users. This approach differs from the classical “mouse-keyboard” and dictates several rules that are vital.
- The item that are supposed to be clicked on cannot be placed too close together as the tapping is not as accurate as clicking with mouse.
- The links have to be highlighted as there is no mouse to point out that this text contains link that can be followed.
- The site menu cannot be dynamic because it is impossible to use it without mouse. The best option is to put a separate navigate menu button on the left top edge of the screen.
- Black backgrounds should be avoided because they are difficult to read on the mobile touchscreens because of the fingerprints left on the screen when swiping the pages.
- Long data entry is annoying and inconvenient when the web page is opened on the mobile device.
Organizing the small screens.
The way your web page is displayed has to be different for the widescreens and the mobile ones. For example, if there are six items in a row when opening the site from PC, they have to be rearrange in a column for mobile devices. The most important information has to be the most accessible. For this purpose, the responsive web page layout has to be changed cardinally to put in order the menus, images, headers and footers, and other gutters. The content of the website has to be clear, logically organized, and linear; the menu has to be as simple as possible.
Adjusting the images.
Images are very important part of any website so they have to be displayed regardless the screen size. To achieve this goal, all you have to do is to apply 100% width for all pictures when creating the program code. Max-width makes your pictures flexible, so they will be shown without distortions on the small screens as well as on the bigger ones.
How to implement the responsive design
While making a website responsive, you have to consider all the breakpoints, rules, and suggestions at the design stage. Responsive web design can be created by using both HTML and CSS. The main rule here is to keep your site flexible. Once the code is ready, it has to be tested many times on different devices. While doing it, you have to answer the questions:
1. Is it convenient to use this site through the mobile device?
2. Is the content emphasized among the images and navigation?
3. Is the navigation clear and easy to access?
In case all three question have positive answers, the mobile responsive site can be launched.
Author:
Vlad Pshenychka is a freelance blogger currently working for Artjoker, a software development company that specializes in startups launch including mobile and web development. Our goal is to turn clients’ ideas only to excellent results!
