What are the Latest Challenges Facing Responsive Web Design in 2019?
The way
the world accesses the internet has changed and now, we find most users
confined to the smartphone. Gone are the days of the bulky desktop computer and numbered are the days of the laptop and
tablet. Information and business has to be accessible on the tips of one’s
finger and in the blink of an eye. Internet connectivity is almost universal
and internet speed has rocketed upward and no one has the patience to wait for
things on their screen. All good, right?
Not really! A new challenge has emerged. Most web pages
have been designed for the desktop and within the recent past, there has been a
monumental shift away from it to a smartphone or mobile device. A web page is a
web page – so what’s the problem, one would think. Well you have another think
coming. Most web pages have been designed for the traditional desktops and
laptops. But rapidly we see the change from these traditional, mostly fixed
devices, to smaller ones that can be accessed on the go.
- Making the web page universally acceptable
The first
and foremost challenge we face in 2019 is when websites designed for the larger
screens are accessed from small mobile devices. So the images need to be scaled
down to suit the width of the mobile device. For this, responsive web design needs to be universally adopted. This makes images clear and of the correct size. Responsiveness
has to be added to the fixed width layout, which was associated with earlier web
pages designed for desktops, so as to make the web
page accessible by all devices. You could use popular framework such as
Foundation or Bootstrap to change the fixed width layout to a responsive web
design.
- Simplifying navigation menus
Another
challenge facing responsive web design is with the navigation menu. Navigation
menus make it easy for the user to navigate through the site with all relevant
links at one place. A traditional desktop version can afford the luxury of
having multi – layer drop down menus , but while transforming the page for use
with a mobile device, it is important to keep the menu simple and remove all non
essential details.
If necessary, a separate page can be created containing all options in
the drop down menu.
- Improving clarity of images
One of the
most important elements of an enriched user experience is the quality of images
on the web page. Designers usually target on making the icons and images
flexible, such that graphics are clear on high pixel density mobiles. This can
be done by lazy loading images and making icons scalable so icons are light and
retina ready. This increases user satisfaction.
There is
no doubt that responsive design is increasingly becoming universal and that
despite challenges faced, designers should aim at improving the experience of
users on all devices and not limit opportunities just because of the user’s
choice of device. People are now hooked to the web and expect quality
experience as a given, and the onus is now on the responsive web designer to
ensure the best and seamless user interface at all times.