In the web design and development world, we are rapidly reaching a point where we need help to keep up with the endless stream of new resolutions and devices. It is near to impossible, or at least impractical, for many websites to create a website version for each new resolution and device. When developing or designing a website for your company, you must recognize that in 2015, most website browsing was done on mobile devices. The need for responsive design arises here, adapting your website design to smaller devices’ size and connection speed.

What is Responsive Web Design?

Responsive web design is a perspective that suggests that web design and development should respond to user behavior and environment according to screen size, platform, and orientation.

The practice includes a combination of grids, fluid layouts, images, and smart use of CSS media queries. When a user swaps from a laptop to an iPad, the website should switch to adjust resolution, image size, and scripting capabilities automatically. People may also want to check the settings on their device; if they have a VPN for iOS on their iPad, the site shouldn’t prevent users from accessing that page. In other words, websites must have technology that automatically responds to user preferences. This will eliminate the need for different design and development stages for each new tool on the market.

Elements of responsive website design

 It’s everywhere now. Content may be well-owned, but displaying content in a way that fits perfectly on the device you’re viewing is at the top of the digital marketing agenda.

There is no denying that the way people interact with the web is more diverse than ever. So it’s now imperative for web designers to build and do well for all the devices that can access the web. This is where there is a need for responsive web design. Here are some basic elements of responsive web design that you should consider.

Content flow

Re-streamed content means content that adjusts its width to fit the window width. There are daily New devices with new screen sizes being developed every day. It forces the browser to recalculate the dimensions and positions of all elements and reload the page. Providing a layout optimized for mobile and tablet devices is critical.

Relative size

Relative sizing means setting the size of an element according to the width of the browser or screen. Regarding responsive design, relative length units need to be used. There is no fixed size for relative unit lengths. With the help of relative sizes, images or other elements adjust their size according to the browser’s width. Various relative unit lengths that can be used include %, VW (viewport width), em, Vmin (minimum viewport), VH (viewport height), etc.

Flexible network

The term web as it relates to web design is becoming increasingly blurred. Most grid systems today make restrictive use of CSS classes to define size, area, and alignment. Trying to enforce these constraints on responsive web design can take time and effort compared to writing your own. Whether you use a pre-configured grid system or create a custom solution, the vital aspect of a flexible grid system is the mechanics of layout size and spacing. For web designers, this means ditching our favorite pixels and replacing them with web layouts that use percentages and ems, which are relative units of measurement.

Breakpoint 

Breakpoints, also known as media queries, are the simplest filters applied to CSS styles, which can be used for different style rules for different devices (such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets, etc.). Design and layout changes can also be modified across different device widths. It can also be used to learn additional information about the environment in which your site is running and to customize your site layout for different devices.

Adapt to all devices.

Flexibility is a major component of a responsive website. Its flexibility to adapt to different-sized screens provides an excellent user experience and makes it more attractive. Responsive websites work independently, adjusting screen size, resizing images, changing fonts and navigation, repositioning content, and more. This creates a positive user experience and company image for customers or users, thereby increasing the audience.

Media queries

Media queries are the most exciting (and, for web designers unfamiliar with it, most intimidating) feature of responsive web design. People often shy away from media queries as an essential part of responsive design, leaving flexible page components optional. The reality is that media queries are of little use without a strong HTML and CSS foundation currently implemented, including elastic grids and fluid images.

Media queries allow designers to create multiple layouts using the same HTML document by selecting style sheets based on user-agent properties such as the browser window size. Other parameters are orientation (landscape or portrait), screen resolution, color (i.e., how many colors the screen can produce), etc.

Running Responsive Tests on real browsers and devices

Once the research is done and a responsive website is built, it must be tested. A website must be tested on multiple browsers and real devices to be verified as responsive. Only in this way, you verify that responsive design works under real user conditions.

For this, use the Responsive Design Checker. No need to buy multiple devices; enter the URL into the authenticator and control how it appears on different real devices, all online. The checker linked above provides responsive validation for the latest and updated mobile devices, such as iPhone X, Galaxy Note 10, iPhone 8 Plus, etc.

On the contrary, you can register for free on BrowserStack’s real machine cloud—instant on-demand access to 3,000+ real-world browsers and devices. See how your website’s responsive design renders on the latest devices and browsers so you don’t leave anything to chance. Reduce the chance of visual distortion in the field by increasing device coverage quickly and efficiently.

Final words

Responsive web design and overhead technologies do not result from the ever-changing mobile world. Responsive web design is a concept that, if implemented correctly, can improve user experience. But it only partially addresses all users, devices, and platforms. As technology advances, we must continually improve the user experience with new devices, resolutions, and technologies.

Apart from saving us from frustration, responsive web design is also best for users. Each customized solution improves the user experience. We can create customized solutions for a wider range of users on various devices with responsive web design.