I have been learning about Responsive Web Design. As defined by in an article posted on Smashing Magzine:
“Responsive Web design is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation.”
With the rapid increase of mobile device users the need to design for more than one environment is apparent. Designing for the Web has never been easy, first it was the limitations that print designers like myself found hard to accept when designing for the Internet. Next, and still today, the way different browsers display the same website differently. Now add to that the fact that more and more viewers are visiting websites with tablets and smart phones (which have about as many variations as the web browsers when it comes to displaying differently) and it becomes clear that the challenges of being a responsible web designer are complex.
But knowledge is power and education is the first step to creating better websites for this ever-changing industry. There is a buzz about Responsive Web Design in our community and I for one will be learning more and moving forward with this new train of thought for my designs.
For more information on Responsive Web Design here are a few links that I found interesting:
- Questions on Responsive WordPress Theme Design by Ian Stewart
- Rethinking The Mobile Web by Brian Rieger of Yiibu
- Rethinking The Mobile Web slide show posted on Slideshare.
How do you feel about Responsive Web Design? I encourage you to post your comments and add more links on this topic.
-Chris Agro
