Considering the User Experience When Designing Your Responsive Website

To some degree you could say that, as far as mobile devices go, every pixel counts. That statement is more valid than ever when you consider the fact that 63% of adult cell owners use their phones to go online (as of May 2013). What is their first thought when they land on your site? Is there a clear call to action? Are they confused, overwhelmed, or impatient? These questions regarding user experience are extremely important to consider when designing and developing your responsive website.

There are six principles of user interface design that are widely used and recognized. They are:

1. Structure
2. Simplicity
3. Visibility
4. Feedback
5. Tolerance
6. Reuse

Your desktop, tablet, and mobile version of your website needs to achieve all of these things. If it does, you can be sure of its effectiveness.

Take a look at this website, built by our MuddEQ team: http://www.sinclairtractor.com/. This is a website that can be accessed via all devices, and encompasses the six principles of UI (User Interface) design. If you re-size the width of your browser, you’ll notice that the content adjusts itself accordingly. This is what’s known as responsive design. Now check it out on your tablet and/or smart phone! You can learn more about MuddEQ’s web design & development capabilities here: http://www.muddeq.com/website-creation/.

In order to provide a functional and enjoyable user experience across all devices, you must first develop a strategy that addresses the tendencies of your user audience. Asking the right questions is just as important as finding the answers to them, and ultimately it is up to you to decide what’s right for your users!