Term
Responsive Web Design
Definition
Responsive Web Design is a technique used to make websites look good and work well on a variety of devices, like mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers. It uses flexible layouts and special instructions called media queries to adapt the site's appearance to different screen sizes.
Where you’ll find it
This design approach is standard in web-building platforms. Whether you're using a site editor to customize templates or coding directly with HTML and CSS, Responsive Web Design principles apply across all modern websites to ensure they are accessible and functional on any device.
Common use cases
- Designing a website that looks great both on a smartphone and a large desktop monitor.
- Updating an existing website to improve how it looks and functions on different devices.
- Creating a user-friendly online store that customers can easily navigate on their phones.
Things to watch out for
- Overloading a site with high-resolution images which can slow load times on mobile devices.
- Failing to test a website on various devices to ensure consistent user experience.
- Assuming responsiveness only applies to small screens; large, ultra-wide screens also require specific design considerations.
Related terms
- Media Queries
- Flexible Layouts
- User Experience (UX)
- Mobile-First Design
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)