Change
The variety of devices used to access and interact with the web is growing at an exceedingly fast rate. They range from widescreen HD tv's & monitors to pocket size smart phones. This provides an opportunity to serve a growing market of people who want to stay more connected. Many reports on internet users screen sizes, such as www.screenresolution.org, show an increasing range of diversity in screen resolutions over the past years.
What is right for you?
There are two main ways to design with flexibility in mind. They are "Responsive Design" and "Mobile Design". Responsive design shines the brightest when a website is based primarily on content. Responsive design utilizes a flexible grid, responsive typography, flexible images, & media queries. All of these tools allow a website to gracefully rearrange its size & organization to communicate its content on a wide rage of screen resolutions.
Mobile design appeals to sites that are more graphically focused & based on interactivity. This approach includes creating multiple designs for a single site that will be properly displayed based on the viewers browser size. Each of the designs created will pull the content from a single source maintaining a level of simplicity for the addition or editing of the sites content. This method better preserves rich visuals & user interfaces.
Moving Forward
As technology & connectivity progress it becomes increasingly more important to meet people where they are. Both responsive & mobile design can be used to reach your market clearly & effectively. Choosing which option is right for you is primarily dependent on the purpose of your website. Is your website meant to be visually smashing & interactive? Or is the content of your site king? Take time to weigh the options & seek the advise of local design & development professionals. They will be able to help guide you in the right direction.
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