5 Perils of Responsive Website Design You Need to Avoid

With mobile internet users overtaking desktop internet users and becoming the preferred way for users to access the web, having a responsive website is not an option anymore, it is a need for survival in today’s mobile dominant world. Additionally, you will have to make your website stand out from the crowd too. That is where custom website design comes into play. Here are five pitfalls of responsive web design that you need to avoid at all costs.

1. Neglecting

One of the common mistakes responsive web developers make is that they ignore the contextual conventions when creating responsive websites. As a responsive web developer, you need to take everything from device form factor, constraints, conventions, interfaces and much more. You need to be sympathetic to the user and understand the context your website will be used in and how users will interact with it to create a winning responsive website. You need to design a website to facilitate its users and make it easier for them to deliver a smoother web experience.

2. Loading Your Website with Fancy Animations and Effects

Web designers are shifting for packing everything in your screen to less is more approach to responsive web design. This is a good thing as it makes your website nimble and lightweight. As a result, it loads quickly and delivers a much better overall user experience. Unfortunately, many web designers still cannot resist the temptation of adding visuals, animations, effects and graphics that make their website look good but at the cost of website performance and overall user experience of your website.

Related: Cinemagraphs in Website Design

3. Following a One Size Fit All Approach

Another common mistake that most responsive designer make is that they consider responsive as a one size fit all, which is not exactly true. Even though, it does a great job at adapting to screen orientation, resolution and screen size but there are many other things that a responsive web designer must take into account. You will have to develop new use cases, patterns and look for every opportunity to deliver a buttery smooth user experience.

4. Depending Heavily on Device Dimensions

If you are one of those responsive web designers who create responsive websites based on device dimensions, then you are doing it all wrong. Relying heavily on device dimension could land you into hot waters and could lead to many issues during website development process. With device capabilities increasing and responsive web developer getting access to APIs, you can easily add unique features on your website that your users can benefit from. With progressive enhancements and feature detection, you can further enhance the user experience of your responsive website.

5. Hiding Content

Imagine a scenario when you are looking for quick access to information and you pick up your smart-phone and landed on a responsive website just to find a big banner or ad hiding content. What will be your reactions be? How would be the user experience of that website? Not Good, right. Users are coming to your website in search of information not to see big banners hiding content on your website. Highlight areas of your website that you want your users to see first. Use short paragraphs and bullet points along with legible font size and typeface to make it easier to read for users.

Which responsive web design mistake you have made many times and have costed you the most? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you and learn from your experiences.

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