Let’s finally defeat the mind set that nobody likes a website that scrolls off page. Responsive web design is here to stay, and those of us that are used to traditional web design are best to adapt before we’re left behind.
Because the vast majority of adults throughout North America own a cell phone and more than half of these users own smart phones, mobile phones and tablets are quickly surpassing computers as the primary mediums used for Internet access.
Mobile Browsing on the Rise
Studies have shown that the average smartphone user will check his or her phone for updates a whopping 150 times everyday, and two-thirds of cell phone users admit to checking their phone for calls, messages, or emails even when they don’t receive a regular alert.
Similar studies have also found that about 34% of smartphone users opt to connect to the Internet via their phone over a desktop computer, laptop, or other device. Additionally, the number of smartphone users searching online is expected to increase to nearly 2 billion by the end of the year.
As the demand for mobile-friendly websites rapidly increases, many companies are struggling to keep up. In fact, an unfortunate 46% of mobile Internet users have reported issues trying to view more traditional, non-responsive websites. Furthermore, 44% of users also complained about experiencing difficulty navigating traditional sites on their mobile devices.
Responsive Design Trends
While there is certainly a need to create more responsive, mobile-friendly websites, the exact methods for doing so are still up for debate. With that said, there are certainly a number of useful techniques that have already been applied quite successfully.
Web design is often considered to be more of an art than science, and new designers and developers often must experiment to find the most effective means of creating a responsive website. Nonetheless, it always helps to study what makes a quality mobile website. Here are a few fast-growing trends you might enjoy:
Ghost Buttons
Ghost buttons are designed to appear empty or semi-transparent when they aren’t covered by the cursor. However, they light up “on hover,” which serves to add distinctive color to your design. Most ghost buttons appear as boxes with colorful borders and designers effectively create the “button” by giving it rounded corners and adding extra padding around the text.
Feature List Icons
Getting and holding the user’s attention is more important than ever in the mobile world. Users want to know if you have a product or service they’d like, and they want to know right now. This is why many mobile sites have begun incorporating home page feature lists that showcase your company’s unique offerings.
Galleries and Slideshows
Mobile web design also embraces the “show don’t tell” moniker. Responsive websites must be able to offer seamless photo galleries and media slideshows without a significant decrease in load time. Pictures and other visual media are a great way to elicit an emotional response, and mobile websites today must include a stimulating graphic element.
At eKzact, we want to help you redesign your current website to be more mobile-friendly, and if you’ve already gone mobile, we’d be more than happy to help you optimize your website nevertheless. If you want to speak with us about your web design needs, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 403-770-3023 today!
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