Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
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Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
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Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#2I'd read it except the page doesn't fit on my phone... oh the irony.
Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#3"I am a fan of responsive (or alternative) design in certain situations – for example, when dealing with a web application whose desktop design could not practically be contained within a mobile device’s screen."
That's the whole idea.
Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#4Yeah as a full-time frontend developer this article doesn't hold much water. Responsive designs are a quick and relatively cheap way to get a mobile compatible site going. It help decrease bounce rates and increase conversions as well.
Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#5After building some responsive sites in the past few months, I think Responsive Design is worth the extra effort.
Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#6I'd read it except the page doesn't fit on my phone... oh the irony.
So would you rather piss off those on small screens, or go the responsive route even if it is not optimal for the small screen.
I always wonder how long it will take for tablets and phones to be so ubiquitous that this debate will become moot and you target mobile from the get-go?
Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#7This article lost me the moment he quoted wikipedia to explain responsive design. This is not 8th grade, come up with your own definition if you're such an expert.
The rest of article was downhill too. Claiming the full site looks fine on your iPhone is akin to saying "It works on my machine!".
It's pretty much a waste of time from top to bottom.
Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#8Wrong.
wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong.
A rebuttal -
1. It Defeats User Expectation
This only holds true if A: your user has never seen a mobile site before (and if they are on a phone thats true for about ~0.5s), or B: if your responsive design is poorly implemented. A well designed site will be intuitive.
2 - It Costs More and Takes Longer
Let's assume that you have customers that will use your site on a non desktop device. If that is the case - you are making users use the wrong tool for the job. A site that takes advantage of the desktop experience will not work as well on mobile. Creating a tailored experience for them will absolutely increase conversion (if your site converts anyone to anything), and at the very least, reduce frustration and eye strain. I can't speak for everyone, but the month or two of part time work it took one of my jobs to add a mobile site was paid for by the increase in sales not too much long after. Not only that, but its now built in. When the kindle fire was released, we saw great numbers on that device. Why? because the responsive design was well done and fit that device's screen great. Saying that it 'costs more' is incredibly short sighted.
3.Non-Responsive Designs Usually Work
'working' doesn't mean it can't work better. all text websites work, too. But we use images because they enhance the experience.
4. There is Often No Load Time Benefit All this is saying is that a lot of sites are done badly. This has nothing to do with the style of responsive design in general. Tools like Modernizr allow you to optionally load a number of resources that would otherwise not load.
5. It’s a Compromise Of course? All design is compromise. The goal is to make the compromise in the favor of the customer.
Responsive design is not a silver bullet, and not always a good idea, depending on the site - but this article is /really / weak.
Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#9As a web developer, I find that implementing a responsive design to be a fairly and rewarding task. I think it is worth the efforts given the screen variances of web-enabled devices. However, not all websites/services are fit for a responsive model. Something like a Google Maps or gmail will benefit more from a separate mobile site. While a Hacker News could easily go responsive.
Re: Why Responsive Design Is Not Worth It
#10I have to seriously disagree with the 1st point.
Give me a usable website over one that "meets my expectations", dammit! As much as I like the desktop version of let's say www.theverge.com, I can honestly say it wouldn't work on a mobile at all. It would be too cluttered, and the links too small to tap.
On a side note, is there a mobile version of Hacker News out there?