3 New Ground Rules to Consider When Implementing Responsive Web Design

Responsive web design is everywhere to the point that professionals from other industries are aware of the web design industry buzzwords.

 

What this means is that not only has the tasks involved with web design changed drastically but the way we work as web designers as well.

 

So, here are 3 new ground rules to consider when implementing responsive web design:

 

#1: Squishy isn’t the way to go

 

By definition, “squishy” is a term used to describe the linear scaling of a site that web designers carry out as soon as they come across a site that employs responsive web design. However, this isn’t what users care about, and which is why we should approach web design by focusing on establishing a site core while scaling it based on screen size and capabilities.

 

#2: Avoid looking for an easy way out

 

Responsive web design isn’t simple. While some people just add a step or two to their workflows in order to accommodate the complexity, the truth is that the process of creating mockups for numerous devices can be time consuming and tedious, to say the least. One solution by which you can prevent this is by using prototyping your wireframes and then presenting them to your client. You can try the tool Foundation by ZURB to build prototypes.

 

#3: Accept changes to the way you design

 

Prior to the popularity of responsive web design, a designer would have used one or two tools but now, these new demands call for a different approach to work. You have to look for other tools to help you design new websites adequately. A couple of examples include Style Tiles and CSS preprocessors.