Tips & Best Practices for Responsive Design

Responsive web design is the default now. You need your site to not only display correctly on every device and screen size, but it needs to look great and function properly as well. The goal is to provide a fast and consistent experience for every visitor. 

You never know what device a visitor will be using. Someone could be looking at your site on anything from a 6-inch screen to a 60-inch monitor and it’s vital that you provide a positive user experience to each and every one of them. By following responsive web design best practices, you can make this possible. 

What Is Responsive Design? And Why It Matters

Responsive web design is developing a site that adapts to different screen sizes. This is different from adaptive web design. Adaptive design has multiple fixed layouts designed for different screen widths. When someone visits your site, it chooses the template and design based on the device type.

With responsive web design, there is a single layout that repositions content based on screen size. It can fit to any space and is perfect for modern web browsing where there are countless numbers of devices. Plus, it’s easier to update and maintain.

If you have one fluid design that adapts to different screens, you only need to make changes in one spot, rather than in multiple layouts. 

That’s just one reason why responsive design matters. The other is user experience. Every visitor to your site should receive a consistent experience that looks great and that matches your brand’s look and feel. They should get this experience seamlessly as well. You don’t want someone to have to frequently zoom in and out to read details or turn their phone sideways to see everything. This ruins the user experience and that gives them a negative impression of your brand.

Remember, the first time someone visits your site could very easily be their first interaction with your company. If it’s frustrating, confusing, or even just slightly inconvenient, you could change their perception of your business forever. You know what they say about first impressions, right?

However, it’s not only website visitors who expect a quick and consistent experience. Search engines like Google do too. In fact, Google recommends responsive web design because it provides the same experience no matter what device is being used. Google wants every user to be shown the same content regardless of how they’re browsing. Using responsive web design best practices helps you achieve this. 

Core Principles of Responsive Web Design

To make sure that users can view your website correctly regardless of their device, there are certain core principles which should be followed.

Following these responsive web design best practices will provide the best experience for users and  give search engines what they’re looking for. It also makes things easier for developers, which reduces costs and lets you make updates faster and easier .

Mobile-First Approach

You don’t have to look at stats and analytics to know that mobile browsing has taken over as the primary way a lot of people use the internet. Then, when you do look at the numbers, you’ll see exactly how true that is. In Canada, 49.81% of internet usage comes from mobiles. Google recognizes this too and it uses a site’s mobile version for indexing and ranking.

Designing with mobile devices in mind first ensures that the site looks great on smaller screen sizes and also helps improve load times. 

Flexible Grids and Layouts

Using flexible grids, you can create a responsive design through proportional sizing. The website’s elements will change size and position depending on the screen size. This lets you maintain a uniform and consistent look for your site.

Scalable Images and Media

Much like grids and layouts can be automatically adjusted based on screen size, so can images and other media. This improves the user experience while also helping to boost performance. When you deliver content designed specifically for certain devices, you ensure optimal functionality.

Breakpoints and Media Queries

CSS media queries let you trigger specific styles based on device, screen size, or type of content. By setting breakpoints, you can make sure that the webpage adjusts appropriately on different devices. For instance, a site may have a double-column layout on a laptop or tablet screen, but shift to a single column when the screen size gets smaller (such as on a phone).

Tips & Best Practices for Responsive Design

When designing a responsive website, there are certain established practices that are proven to deliver quality sites that work on all devices. Following these guidelines will help you create a site that looks great and is a joy to use no matter the screen size. 

Prioritize Content Hierarchy

This involves recognizing the most important parts of content and making sure that they not only display correctly, but that they also attract user attention. Calls to action, key points, and contact information are often prioritized on most sites. Where these sections are placed and how they are displayed (size, color, etc.) can make a big difference for your site. 

Optimize Navigation for Small Screens

Small target points or scroll bars are hard to pinpoint when you’re using a finger on a phone screen. Menus and other navigation areas should be designed and tested so they work effectively on mobile. Make sure they’re large enough to be selected easily and designed so they don’t scroll away or hide easily. This just serves to frustrate visitors.

Ensure Readable Typography Across Devices

All visitors need to be able to read the content on your website. Fonts that look great on a 30-inch monitor may be too small to read on a 6-inch screen. Use flexible units like em for sizing instead of specifying pixel size. Make sure the line height is appropriate so text can be read without looking squished. Choose clear, easy-to-read fonts and maintain contrast between the text and the background. This also helps meet accessibility standards. 

Test Across Multiple Devices and Browsers

Once you’ve designed your site, you need to make sure it works well on various browsers and devices. Test it on whatever phones, tablets, and computers you have access to. Then use tools like browser “device modes” or applications that simulate different devices to do comprehensive testing.  

Minimize Page Load Times for Mobile Users

No one likes a slow webpage. This is especially true for mobile users. Take steps to improve load times (such as compressing and resizing images and removing unnecessary code and comments from your CSS and Javascript files) to make your site load faster. This isn’t just great for your visitors, but Google and other search engines prioritize sites that load quickly as well. 

Leverage Responsive Frameworks

Frameworks give you a collection of pre-designed components and rules that help make sites more responsive. This eliminates the need to write every line of code yourself. Find the one that meets your needs and take advantage of what it offers. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Responsive Design

Just like there are guidelines for practices you should follow, there are also a lot of things you’ll want to avoid. 

As we discussed, the top mistake is not designing with the mobile web as a priority. It isn’t 2012 anymore. People have a wide variety of devices and there’s a really good chance that most of your visitors will land on your site via a mobile browser. 

The next one is not optimizing your media. Images take longer to load than text, and the more images you have, the greater potential load time. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll want to avoid images altogether. You still want your site to look great. Using modern file formats and compressing images can help speed up your site without sacrificing visual appeal.

Don’t overload your page with too much, however. This doesn’t just mean images, it refers to text and other content too. Even if you’re optimizing everything properly and implementing adaptive elements to match screen sizes, too much content or a chaotic layout can make people leave your site out of frustration. Create a clear hierarchy and use design and structure to properly chunk content so it’s easy to read.

Navigation is a critical area as well. Don’t design your site with a bunch of pop-out menus or sliding menus, unless you have a plan for how you’re going to make them work on small screens and mobile browsers. Interactive elements should be large enough and spaced out enough that users can tap them without difficulty. Not optimizing for touch is a big mistake. 

Responsive Web Design and Your Business

A responsive web design is a good web design. It’s good for your business, good for your customers, good for search engines, and good for speed and efficiency. Companies are always trying to optimize their processes and present a stronger brand to their audiences. That’s exactly what responsive web design does. 

To get it done the right way, you need the right developers who understand its importance and have the skill needed to create a stunning design that works on every screen size. That’s Eggs Media. Since 2014, we have worked with businesses to create online identities and website designs that properly represent their brands online. 

If you’d like to learn more about why responsive web design is so important and how we can help you create a site that matches your business goals, let’s talk. We’ll be happy to talk about your project and brainstorm how we can best represent your business online.