What is Responsive Web Design & What Are The Benefits of It?
Responsive web design is an approach to web design in which a website is built to provide the most optimal viewing experience. The benefit of a responsive web design viewing experience is it is fluid across all devices and browser windows. From PCs and laptops to tablets and mobile phones responsive web design is able to adapt. With the constant development of new personal electronic devices the benefits of responsive web design have be come endless.
Responsive web design is achieved through media queries which detect the resolution of the device the web site is being served on. The benefit of this detection is flexible images and fluid grids are correctly sized to dynamically fit on the consumer’s screen. Try opening the Response Marketing site up on your PC or laptop. Adjust your browser window to a smaller size to see what happens. The content layout and design changes to respond correctly to fit the window, hence the term responsive design. The benefit of responsive web design minimizes the amount of left to right scrolling, providing an easier navigation and reading experience for the web site user.
Why is Responsive Web Design Important?
The benefit of responsive design is the ability for websites to adapt to the user experience to different types of electronic devices. The importance of mobile devices, such as phones and tablets, on today’s B2B and B2C consumer world cannot be understated. This is reflected in the follow statistics:
- According to Nielsen, over half of U.S. mobile phones are smart phones (that’s roughly 150 million smart phone users)
- There are an estimated 70 million tablet users in the U.S. (Pew Research)
- PC sales are experiencing a steep decline (about 6.4% in Q4 of 2012 alone, IDC)
Think about how you use your own smart phone and tablet. If you left your phone at home, would you go back and get it? Yes! It is an indispensable part of our daily digital lives. Do you use your tablet while watching TV to comment on shows you are watching or do research on a new product you want to buy? Of course! Do you whip out your phone to check reviews and prices while shopping in Best Buy? I’ve certainly done it. For more information on data supporting these figures please feel free to our company (Response Marketing).
As consumers we are more connected than ever on every device. If your company’s website is not taking advantage of the benefits of responsive web design you risk a poor user experience for your customers. As a company you only have a few moments to engage the consumer before they move on to your competitor’s web site. Are you are interested in engaging your customers across all channels and in every step on the path-to-purchase? If you answered yes, the benefits of responsive web design for your mobile site experience cannot be overlooked.
Benefits Of Responsive Web Design:
There are many benefits to having your website and/or landing page designed with responsive design. Some key benefits of responsive web design are:
- SAVING YOUR COMPANY MONEY
Many companies have invested in mobile versions of their web site. This requires that the entire site be rebuilt for mobile and usually several other devices– iPhone, Android, iPad, etc. Every time a new device is released with a new screen size, ala iPad Mini, another version of the site needs to be created. This creates a costly investment for the company. The benefit of responsive web design is one website can be used for all devices. - A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
According to a 2012 Google study, 96% of consumers encounter sites that are not optimized for mobile viewing, and if they are most are not using responsive web design. The benefit of responsive web design is a better optimized user experience for your mobile customers. A better user experience results in a higher conversion rate, more leads and a lower bounce rate. Google recently stated that 67% of mobile users say that when they visit a mobile-friendly site, they’re more likely to buy a site’s product or service. - FUTURE PROOF.
Simply put when using responsive web design responsive design your site will stay relevant longer. You don’t need 10 versions of your site or even an app to be developed. You don’t have to worry about the iPad “super mini” being developed because your responsive web site design covers every size from “super mini” to “extra large.”
EXAMPLES OF RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN PROJECTS BY RESPONSE MARKETING
At Response Marketing, we have experience in developing and designing responsive web sites and pages. Feel free to contact us to learn more about the benefit of responsive design and how it can improve your sites user experience. Check out a few web sites Response Marketing has development using the responsive design method. Click on any image to go to the live site on any device:
