Why go for responsive?
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 3:12 am
Responsive web design is the hippest word used by web designers in 2013. As if it were the latest new toy for entrepreneurs. At parties where the question “do you have a responsive website yet?” comes up, you are looked at with pity if your answer is “no”. However, responsive design is a one size fits all solution and does not take individual users into account. Is it time for the next phase?
What exactly is responsive web design?
Responsive web design is a technique where an existing web page adapts smoothly to the size of a screen, regardless of the device. A developer defines a number of breakpoints, and when you go below a breakpoint, the content is placed differently. In some cases, elements are displayed differently, or even omitted. For example, a menu often changes to a drop-down menu, or large leader images disappear.
In itself, responsive web design aims at nothing more than that a visitor can read the website in a more pleasant way via a smartphone or tablet. The content becomes more readable and you no longer have to pinch or swipe on the screen.
But responsive does not help to optimize your conversion, guide the visitor more effectively through the website or make optimal use of the functionality of the device that is used. Let alone that responsive is a solution for the enormous amount of devices that are yet to come. How do you solve this for Google Glass or iWatch, for example ? To start with the latter: will that be one word per line? That is not really conducive to that conversion…
Relatively cheap
As I have previously dismissed responsive web design as a ' poor man's content strategy ', we can now also add that it is – thanks to out of the box solutions like Bootstrap – a relatively cheap solution to make your website readable on other screens. And that is quite an achievement .
Responsive web design is a 'one size fits all solution'
In any case, with every out-of-the-box solution a problem arises. Responsive web design then becomes a 'one size fits all solution'. It looks nice, but it doesn't quite fit. It's that ready-made suit that fits the mannequin, but not you. Responsive web design only takes into account the presentation side of the web, not the side where editors or people who are responsible for any form of business logic (the connected applications behind a website) are. Those other two groups are becoming increasingly influential.
Responsive web design is also not part of any content strategy. Let alone that it takes into account the functionality present on a device. It looks at the screen size and not the device, or the user of the device and whether or not the user switches from device one to device two while using a web application.
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What exactly is responsive web design?
Responsive web design is a technique where an existing web page adapts smoothly to the size of a screen, regardless of the device. A developer defines a number of breakpoints, and when you go below a breakpoint, the content is placed differently. In some cases, elements are displayed differently, or even omitted. For example, a menu often changes to a drop-down menu, or large leader images disappear.
In itself, responsive web design aims at nothing more than that a visitor can read the website in a more pleasant way via a smartphone or tablet. The content becomes more readable and you no longer have to pinch or swipe on the screen.
But responsive does not help to optimize your conversion, guide the visitor more effectively through the website or make optimal use of the functionality of the device that is used. Let alone that responsive is a solution for the enormous amount of devices that are yet to come. How do you solve this for Google Glass or iWatch, for example ? To start with the latter: will that be one word per line? That is not really conducive to that conversion…
Relatively cheap
As I have previously dismissed responsive web design as a ' poor man's content strategy ', we can now also add that it is – thanks to out of the box solutions like Bootstrap – a relatively cheap solution to make your website readable on other screens. And that is quite an achievement .
Responsive web design is a 'one size fits all solution'
In any case, with every out-of-the-box solution a problem arises. Responsive web design then becomes a 'one size fits all solution'. It looks nice, but it doesn't quite fit. It's that ready-made suit that fits the mannequin, but not you. Responsive web design only takes into account the presentation side of the web, not the side where editors or people who are responsible for any form of business logic (the connected applications behind a website) are. Those other two groups are becoming increasingly influential.
Responsive web design is also not part of any content strategy. Let alone that it takes into account the functionality present on a device. It looks at the screen size and not the device, or the user of the device and whether or not the user switches from device one to device two while using a web application.
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