Why Is Responsive web designing getting all the highlights?

Responsive web design is certainly not a single technology; it is a collective set of distinct techniques that enable the web pages to succor the requirements of both desktops and mobile users. The most essential thing regarding responsive design is definitely flexibility. All must be flexible that include image sizes, layouts, text blocks – absolutely everything. Presence of mere flexibility endows your website the essential fluidity it requires to fit inside any of the containers.

Now let us focus on the ground components:

Pick up major breakpoints:

A breakpoint is referred to the media query value that marks the transition to new devices class. You at least require a minimum of three breakpoints – one for each kind of device, namely tablet, mobile, and desktop.

There involve no universal collective sets of best practices or breakpoints, however, you must at least utilize four breakpoints for device flexibility.

Tips:

At the time of formulating specific breakpoints, design for screen space amount which must be available to your website. When the website is running on the full screen, the website is of the same size similar to the screen, but in other situations, it is smaller.

Utilise video and fluid images:

The images are naturally not fluid. But you must modify it all. Video and fluid images are kind of non-negotiable for the responsive design – not only for the size but for cropping.

Tips:

·         Images must be rendered at native dimension as long as there is not enough room in HTML container for the same. On smaller screens, crop few images so as to retain the impact.

·         You must try scalar vector graphics. Unlike SVG alter, raster graphics their resolution is basis image paths, not pixels, therefore they always remain same at any considerable size. \

Pay full attention to the font sizes:

Generally, typography is stated to be the cornerstone of the web, making approximately ninety-five percent of all things on the web. When selecting a typeface, you must be sure that your estimate selection works well and look after the overall look you wish whether you want to scale it smaller or larger.

Tips:

• Make the text accessible: You require making sure that your text is accessible and legible by utilizing sufficient contrast of colors.
• Use real-time text rather than text within the graphics: The text can be changed into sound via voice synthesizers in the screen readers. Also, the text can also get enlarged by screen magnification or enlargement software, without loss of quality.
• Design big responsive headlines: The headlines must clearly be like headlines, it must be 1.6 times as large as text which is supported.
• Make the body text look responsive: You must try and make your body look responsive as it is much better than utilizing pixels to size the fonts.

Formulate the smallest views in the start:

Formulating for the smartphone layout first assists you to separate the necessary elements from secondary ones. Once your mobile design questions are well answered, formulating for other devices is easier. A mobile first approach is also an approach to being content first. 

The heart of any website is content – that is what users are there for.

Takeaway: Structure the mobile wireframe in the beginning, then utilize this as the model for greater breakpoints.

Tips:

·         You must avoid large graphics: You must cater to the mobile users having images that easily readable on the handheld screens.

·         Examine in a real device: Just try your website on real tablet or phone. Nothing can beat the realization and discovery when you yourself make an attempt at browsing through and taking out mistakes from your website.

·         Formulate smart and scalable navigation: What works ideally well for the larger screens can break down completely on distinct other devices. Also, you must be consistent in navigation that includes labels utilized on buttons.

Utilise Design Patterns:

The product director of Google named Luke Wroblewski delineated 4 broad categories involved in responsive layouts.

• ·         Fluid Patterns: Generally fluid pattern are a type of multi-column layout that introduces larger margins on a bigger screen, and relies on a fluid grid. It works utterly well on websites with a diverse collection of layouts among it numerous pages like the e-commerce sites, marketing sites, and new sites – anything having more than one kind of content.
• ·         Column Drop Pattern: A column drop pattern usually tends to fill up available viewport regardless of their size. It is perfect for a responsively structured website that the users view on a wide range of displays.
• ·         Off Canvas Pattern: An off canvas pattern pushes the secondary content out of the sight, literally outside of viewpoint till called upon. This pattern is great not only for the purpose of navigation but also for the websites that require focusing on large content amounts and keep aside genuinely to the side.
• ·         Layout shifter Pattern: A layout shifter pattern does most to adapt across distinct screen sizes. This requires the designers to consider every breakpoint range as it were some independent design. This generally works in a great way for the visual heavy sites like the photo galleries.Takeaway: Patterns broadly covers most of the situations which occur across the web. And you can also select from those patterns to endow your layout a basic kind of direction.

Do not forget regarding visual hierarchies:

Visual hierarchies take the center stage when you are designing for a mobile device. Little content must be viewed first, some second and few on downline. The most essential content must be at top of the hierarchy. Fancy sliders hover menus, flash related animations – all of this cluster must be taken away at the start and instead of concentration on the effects, you must consider displaying the content in a rational manner.

Takeaway: You must prioritize every element in the write-up inventory and then determine how you must represent the most essential element prominently.

Bottom line:

Responsive design still is in great progress and there include no consensus as to what might constitute an ideal pattern. Responsive design must be able to completely adapt to any kind of size involving wearables.

Sanjay Dey, a Freelance Web Designer & UI+UX Designer in India with over 16 years of experience in Web design, UI Design, Web Development and Digital Marketing