According to research data, almost 80% of users browse through the internet by their mobile devices, and therefore how a website would look on a mobile screen becomes imperative for its growth and survival. There are so many different types of devices on the market these days. This would mean that the number of mobile internet users have overtaken the number of desktop users. The ability to offer your consumers an effortless optimized experience no matter what their choice of device, means you will expand the reach of your service which will increase the chances you have of engaging with individuals. This approach is incredibly valuable and the cost-effectiveness is a clear advantage.
Mobile web design developers opt for one of these two approaches while designing – Adaptive and Responsive.
The responsive design method is dynamic in nature and fits any screen size and the content arranges itself to fit the screen size. The layout uses CSS media queries to fit, to resize its width and height. Some of the benefits of this method are: Seamless browsing across all devices – its flexible nature in change of screen and content size as per the device make it user friendly and easy to use.
It is also easy to implement and is budget-friendly. It does not require a team of developers for maintenance or changes and its one size fits all screens design makes it easy to implement. Only need to maintain one version of the size – It has a same interface and content for all devices making it easier to maintain and update.
Google recommends responsive designs – Due to its nature and easy use, google recommends to users while browsing. A responsive site is built on a flexible grid so that whether the user is on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device, the elements of your site remain constant and line up on that grid. For example, a desktop design is usually on a 12-column grid, a tablet would use 4 to 8 columns, and the phone shows in a single column. As screens decrease in size, the elements stack on top of each other. You can think of it like water taking on the shape of its container.
While these are some benefits there are some disadvantages as well, mainly: Not compatible with older web browsers, advertisement display gets affected, slower loading time for mobile devices, some elements may have to be pushed down.
On the other hand, adaptive designis user friendly, but it takes a different approach to provide users accessibility on all screens by displaying static layouts for multiple screen sizes. Adaptive web design is less popular than a responsive design approach, but it can be of advantage for many sites. Adaptive sites use multiple fixed designs that automatically appear on corresponding display screens. So, resizing the browser does not have any impact on the design itself. A design is created for the six most common screen widths, ranging from large desktops to mobile devices. This way, the designer can create specifically for the needs of users that are likely to use a mobile device over a laptop or vice versa.
Adaptive web design has the potential to look the best since it displays tailor-made designs for multiple screen sizes. The downside is that this usually creates a lot more work for the designer. On the other hand, sites that need specific capabilities for mobile sites (such as hospital sites that need user-friendly appointment schedulers), an adaptive design can feel more intentional since it requires more active planning.
A designer would need to develop layouts for an adaptive site for six screen widths: 320, 480, 760, 960, 1200, and 1600 pixels. In an adaptive design setting, browsing is optimized for individual devices, the loading time is faster, and advertisements can be optimized and can be adapted by the already existing websites. Some cons are that they are not very cost effective, requires a regular a team of developers for maintenance, designs changes have to be made for all different layouts and there are new screen sizes always coming out in the market which poses a new challenge for the team of developers.
- Best Mobile Design Practices.
- Understand the journey- Understanding the customer / viewer point of view is crucial while designing. Taking note of the objective and issues of the user helps in designing. Prioritizing the display elements is the key.
- Ditch the Navigation – While the navigation bar helps users, it takes up a lot of space and makes it difficult for small screen interface. The alternative to this option can be hamburger menu. They open navigation links on tapping making the entire process cleaner.
- Minimize the options – too many options may confuse the users and make it difficult to retain information.
- Keeping it simple – Simple use and limiting the number of forms on the website is important to not lose the visitor’s interest. Only important and limited information should be asked while registering.
- Images and Videos – Use of attractive and relevant images and videos can help increase the traffic and engagement of viewers. It is a great way to make your website interesting and interactive but the right image size is important in adaptive design methods and non-compressed images can slow the speed so they need to be first edited with use of photo editing software’s like photoshop.
- Placement – It is a small yet key feature to be kept in mind while designing. Since mobile screens are used by thumb and the centre button is accessible easily to users, keeping the navigation and other important options at the centre or near it can greatly help.
- Linking contact information – Linking of numbers, email ID, and address along with maps while tapping can greatly help business and help connect with potential customers and is a time saving tactic.
- Social Media – Linking social media accounts to the website not only piques the user’s interest but it also adds certain market relevance and credibility for your brand/company. It helps users get any added information that they might seek about the company.
- Colour scheme – using the right colour scheme defines the look and visual presentation of your website. Ensuring the right colour combination that is attractive and makes it easy to read is a must.
- Consistent branding – The company logo, colour scheme and what it represents should reflect on the webpage for the user without making it confusing. It should be consistent on every part of the site from images, videos, logos, brand colour etc.
The best way to represent your business over the internet is to get an attention-grabbing and user-friendly website. It will not only attract more visitors but it will also boost your sales and business. You can do the web designing work on your own, but that can take time and a lot of research work and adds cost. In this situation, outsourcing is the best alternative and India is the country that is highly recommended. To make such a website, you need a professional and reliable web design company. Now when you hire a web design company from India, these are advantages which you get.
There are many benefits of hiring web designers from India. It is cost-effective, saves time, better-quality, reliability and tech support and assistance. The charges are reasonable for the quality and skill of the designers in India. The Hired professionals usually have a rich experience in development and it reflects in their work and final product. This ensures that the website designed will be reliable & accurate in terms of outputs. It is the collaborative and enthusiastic approach of these companies which makes your website trustworthy. Indian companies are known for their ethics and moral values. They aim is the long-term relationship and single project relationship. They have certain set of value which they adhere to and this is what which makes them different from other companies. They implement creative ideas for developing a world-class website for you. The most important service which they give is after sales support. Even after completion of website, if you are facing any problem, they will be ready to help you out. They will solve your problem and make sure that you don’t face the same problem again.
Both responsive and adaptive method are applied depending on the nature of the business. For example, if the website has limited content and information and can be serves a focused and limited goal for the viewer’s they can take the responsive method as it is cost effective and google recommended plus it require low maintenance. On the other hand, if it is an ecommerce website where the user would be navigating through various options and pages and making different purchasing options then it becomes essential for that brand/business to choose for an inclusive design method like the adaptive method where it can be seen differently in all screen sizes without compromising on its contents, ads, or any other information.
Summary – Mobile web design is an essential part of businesses, service providers, and individuals. Responsive and Adaptive styles of web designs have their respective advantages. Your web design dictates the number of users on your website and consequently the number of sales. Keeping the design simple, user-friendly, and interesting enough to retain the user’s attention, using images and videos, linking contact information are some key factors while designing.
There are many benefits of hiring web designers from India. It is cost-effective, saves time, is better-quality, reliability and tech support and assistance. The charges are reasonable for the quality and skill of the designers in India. The Hired professionals have a rich experience in development. This ensures that the website design will be reliable & accurate in terms of outputs. It is the collaborative and enthusiastic approach of these companies which makes your website trustworthy. Indian companies are known for their ethics and moral values.