Trends Create Responsive Web Pages — RWD
Mobile devices account for over half of modern internet traffic, and this trend will only increase. With the popularity of mobile devices like watches, phones, tablets, etc., the variety of devices connecting to web pages will only become more diverse and fragmented. Each device has different resolutions and sizes, leading to a significant increase in market demand for websites that “can adapt to various devices.” This is where Responsive Web Design (RWD) comes into play.
Previously, a approach was used, which involved designing several different sizes of websites and presenting them separately on different devices. This method is also known as Adaptive Web Design (AWD). However, it is becoming less common due to the maintenance hassle, although it still has suitable use cases that are less universal.
It can be said that in 2022, any website created is expected to have some compatibility with various device sizes. However, this mainly depends on the website’s user base to decide whether to implement related features.
How to Create RWD? Where to Start?
Don’t overthink it; web pages are inherently responsive.
Don’t believe it? Check out this website: This is a motherfucking website.
But if you want to create a website that “automatically adapts to various device sizes,” aka “RWD website,” what aspects will require effort?
- Designer - Plan different design drafts for various web sizes in advance.
- Frontend Developer - Implement the layouts planned by the designer across different web sizes.
If you have a clear understanding of the website’s audience, you can even optimize the visuals specifically for certain sizes. In general, “making the web content reasonably adaptable to the device” is what constitutes good RWD.
Creating an RWD website requires considering how the web page can interact with users comfortably across different sizes and devices. Therefore, during the design phase, designers need to create several size versions of flat drafts (usually including: desktop, tablet, mobile, with more added as needed); frontend developers also need to consider more ways to implement layouts and the skills to respond to them.
Responsive Web Design (RWD) can refer to…
- The design methodology of web pages (this website uses RWD technology)
- A skill or technique (he can create RWD websites)
Advantages and Disadvantages of RWD
Advantages
- Improved user experience across different devices: Content scales and adjusts layout with the device, eliminating the need to zoom in and out to see clearly.
- Reduced development costs and consistent device experience: Since the content is rearranged on the same website, it is easier to maintain and modify. Traditional websites, when faced with browsing needs for large, medium, and small devices, would create three separate versions, resulting in three times the pages for the frontend to maintain. This development method is also known as Adaptive Web Design (AWD).
- Convenient for sharing web pages: No need to think about whether the website is the “web version” or the “mobile version” to share.
Disadvantages
- Standardized and boring: Due to the nature of RWD production, which often avoids irregular block layouts, unique and unusual designs may require more time and skill to adjust.
- Slightly higher loading times: Since RWD makes content fluid, it usually requires writing more code to set the layout of objects under different sizes, which theoretically results in larger file sizes.
Of course, if you are using pre-made component libraries, this issue won’t arise. Web pages are highly automated and replicable; unless there are truly special requirements, the differences won’t be significant. Overall, using RWD does not have major drawbacks; it just requires a bit more effort.