A Responsive Web Design Strategy

The numbers are amazing. Today there are almost 1.5 billion smartphones in use and by 2017 it’s projected that number will increase to over 3 billion devices worldwide. Users increasingly pick up their smartphone first when they browse the Web, and their expectations from the brands are shifting based on delivery. Customers expect a personalized experience on a personal device. They’ve already been conditioned to think that way by mobile apps that capture their information, so why can’t a company provide a website that is usable and readable on these mobile devices? Well, brands should consider a responsive web design that will provide this experience.

Quickly defined, responsive web design is the approach where web design and development will respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation using a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS. This all means that one common site will display on all devices from mobile phone to large monitors.

As developers are quickly adapting to a responsive web design approach, there are challenges that exist according to a study by Forrester Consulting. This approach is largely a front-end approach. According to survey respondents across 146 U.S.-based organizations, the back-end stuff is still challenging. This includes integration of APIs, middleware, and database management systems.

As you begin to think about your site and how it integrates into delivery on a mobile device, planning and research especially around the back-end will be an important element to consider.