2012 saw a decline in the fall of PCs but this was more that matched by a phenomenal growth in both tablets and smartphones. This is not just of interest to providers, but should be of interest to any company with a website or interest in internet marketing. The simple conclusion to draw is that people will be accessing websites in increasingly different ways – through PCs, tablets and their phones. For Birmingham business owners, they need to ensure their website is fully responsive to these changes.

Responsive web design for Birmingham organisations

One response is to ask whether the way people access the website matters. It’s a legitimate response to say ‘No’. Most websites designed for PCs can be viewed on other platforms. OK – it might look clunky and be difficult to navigate, but if people want to put in some effort they can just about navigate to the product or service they need. That would be fine if rival companies had the same attitude, but many Birmingham businesses realise that developing responsive websites will be better for clients, and that means better for their business. In simple terms, a responsive web design uses “media queries” to figure out what resolution of device it’s being served on. Flexible images and fluid grids then size correctly to fit the screen. Given the rapid adoption of tablets and smartphones — and the fact that users currently seem to prefer reading their news on the mobile web rather than in apps — I think it’s inevitable that 2013 will be the year that responsive design takes off. For publishers, it offers the simplest way to reach readers across multiple devices. For users, it ensures a great experience on every screen. As Ethan Marcotte, the author of Responsive Web Design, explains: “Now more than ever, we’re designing work meant to be viewed along a gradient of different experiences. Responsive web design offers us a way forward, finally allowing us to ‘design for the ebb and flow of things.'” When it comes to responsive web design Birmingham businesses can re-prioritise the flow of information to the particular device. The website may promote offers first, or may link to a geographic-based service or offering to take advantage of the mobile device. Even without this re-ordering, they will want to make the experience as user-friendly as possible.   Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing a range of online marketing blogs over the coming months. Our readers can also find our Opace Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/OpaceWebDesign. For all the latest goings on, you can keep up-to-date with Opace on Twitter https://twitter.com/OpaceWeb. And we also now have an Opace YouTube page live at http://www.youtube.com/user/opacewebdesign.

Image credit – isar21