A responsive website has a design that adjusts to all screen sizes and different devices. The concept emerged in 2010 when content consumption shifted from desktops to portables. Back then, websites created with a PC in mind looked tiny on a mobile screen. Alternatively, a user was able to see only a corner of a page.
Nowadays, mobiles are used to navigate the web as often desktop computers. Websites are designed for mobile devices first and only then - for desktops. Nevertheless, making a site responsive while keeping it impressive is a challenging task for web design.
What Does It Mean for a Site to Be Responsive?
Apart from adjusting to all browsers and devices, responsiveness is about download speed. A website has to be light enough to be downloaded to a mobile device in no time. Finding the right balance between rich content, design elements, lots of functionality, and download speed is a big challenge for a web designer. At any cost, the download speed doesn't have to be sacrificed since users will go away without seeing the fascinating design or trying out all the functionality.
Responsive websites have call-to-action buttons on the upper part of a page displayed on any mobile device. A user doesn't have to scroll down a page to add a product to a cart or proceed to checkout.
On a responsive website, a text and an image change their size so that a user doesn't need to waste time zooming in.
When a page orientation changes from a landscape to a portrait on a mobile device, the layout adjusts accordingly. Not only do buttons respond to a click but also work properly on a touch screen.
How Is Responsiveness of a Website Measured?
To measure how responsive your website is, rely on a statistic of visitors split by device type, model, and resolution. Compare the number of visits from different devices, time spent on a website, and conversion. If users of a certain device type or model leave the website quicker, it happens because your site looks bad for them and delivers an unsatisfactory user experience.
Responsive websites have a different code. When you want to check if a website is made to be responsive, check the source code. A responsive website will have the word "responsive" in it to call for corresponding templates and stylesheets.
How to Check if a Website Is Responsive in Chrome?
There are in-browser tools that let you check how users of various devices see your website. In Chrome's toolbar, one could look for development tools, which allows switching to a different phone or tablet type and see how the page would look on them.
When you search the web, your browser automatically detects your device type and resolution and either adjusts to it or gives you a separate layout version. But you can see how the web site is displayed on a device different from the one you actually use. However, be sure to clear your device search history first.
What Is Responsiveness Software Testing?
There are various tools that offer online testing of your website responsiveness. The famous ones are Responsinator or Responsive Design Checker, to name a few.
You enter the URL of your resource and view a range of different Android and iPhone screens with your website on them. The tools offer to choose from a rather impressive list of devices. Yet, note that it is an emulator only and suggests testing with real devices for a better check.
With the growing number of devices and resolutions, manual check becomes more and more demanding. The design testing tools are mostly free of charge, but some advanced features are paid. They let you see if your design works properly on different devices immediately.
It is essential to make a website responsive, and you need to be a professional to have it done properly!
