ADAPTING TO A
RESPONSIVE
WEB DESIGN
HOW DO WE DEFINE
RESPONSIVE?
To react quickly
and positively.
http://goo.gl/hMFzFm
Responsive web design is a
design approach that aims to
create interfaces that react
quickly and positively to the
user’s conditions.
PEOPLE WILL ACCESS OUR
WEBSITES IN WAYS WE HAVEN’T
EVEN CONSIDERED YET
Image Copyright: Walt Disney Pictures & Tim Burton Pictures
THE PREVIOUS STATE(S) OF
OUR OWN WEBSITE
“DESKTOP” SITE
(2011)
“TABLET” SITE
(LATER 2011)
*Not to scale :)
“MOBILE” SITE
(2012)
OUR SEPARATE MOBILE WEBSITES:
A STOP-GAP STRATEGY
SO WHY GO
RESPONSIVE?
3 FACTORS
Image Copyright: L.A. Films & Home Box Office (HBO)
MULTIPLE CODE BASES1
CONTENT STRATEGY2
KNOWN UNKNOWNS3
SETTING 4 GOALS FOR A
RESPONSIVE DESIGN
Image Copyright: Chartoff-Winkler Productions & United Artists
CONTENT
PARITY
Credit: http://wtfmobileweb.com/
THE SAME CONTENT
SHOULD BE AVAILABLE
ON ALL PLATFORMS
1
SPEED
MATTERS
BECAUSE PERFORMANCE
AFFECTS EVERYONE
2
Image Copyright: Universal Pictures
FUTURE FRIENDLY
See: http://futurefriend.ly/
CUT DOWN ON MAINTENANCE AND
SUPPORT KNOWN UNKNOWNS
3
Image Copyright: Universal TV
ACCESSIBILITY
STYLES, BACKGROUNDS AND JAVASCRIPT
ARE PROGRESSIVE ENHANCEMENTS
4
Photo Credit: Neil McKenzie: http://www.flickr.com/photos/furbyx4/2968376257/
CONTENT PARITY
1
ASSUMPTION IS
THE ENEMY OF A
GOOD CONTENT
STRATEGY
1
Image Copyright: BBC
1
Image Copyright: BBC
You don't get to decide which
device people use to access
your website.
KAREN MCGRANE
Source: http://alistapart.com/article/your-content-now-mobile
Photo credit: Eirik Helland Urke: http://www.flickr.com/photos/webdagene/6149954950/
1
1
Credit: http://xkcd.com/773/
1
1
RESEARCHING
CONTENT STRATEGY
SPEAKING TO EXISTING CLIENTS
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
CRAZYEGG
LEAD TO SALES
1
Image Copyright: Warner Bros.
OUR CONTENT DEFINES
THE LAYOUTS WE NEED
NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND
1
11
MOBILE FIRST
CONTENT STRATEGY
SPEED MATTERS
2
2
TRANSFER
SIZE
2010 2015
700KB
1900KB
http://httparchive.org/trends.php
71% OF PEOPLE EXPECT WEBSITES
TO LOAD AS QUICKLY (OR FASTER)
ON THEIR MOBILE PHONE
2
See: http://e-commercefacts.com/research/2011/07/what-usrs-want-from-mobil/19986_WhatMobileUsersWant_Wp.pdf
It’s time for us to treat
performance as an essential
design feature, not just as a
technical best practice.
BRAD FROST
Photo credit: John Davey: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johndavey/8891059281/
Source: http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/post/performance-as-design/
2
PERFORMANCE AT THE HEART
OF ALL DESIGN DECISIONS
2
Copyright: Paramount Pictures,
Robert Stigwood Organisation,
Allan Car Production
SO,
TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE WE…
2
SET PERFORMANCE BUDGETS
2
timkadlec.com/2013/01/setting-a-performance-budget/Image Copyright: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
To load the Facebook, Twitter and Google social
media buttons for a total of 19 requests takes
246.7 KB in bandwidth.
http://zurb.com/article/883/small-painful-buttons-why-social-media-bu
2
OFF THE SHELF
FRONT-END FRAMEWORKS
2
Photo credit: Don Shall: http://www.flickr.com/photos/donshall/3817115551/
2
CUT DOWN ON FRAMEWORK BLOAT
KNOWING YOUR CODE FROM
TOP TO BOTTOM IS ESSENTIAL TO
HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OVER IT
2
Image credit: http://css-tricks.com/
http://cyber-duck.github.io/hoisin.scss/
WE CREATED A MINI-LIBRARY THAT
IS SIMPLE, FLEXIBLE, LIGHT AND
DOESN’T MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOU
2
ONLY LOADING
WHAT WE NEED
WHEN WE NEED IT.
2
JAVASCRIPT
2
http://requirejs.org/
CSS
2
http://sass-lang.com/
IMAGES
2
BEGIN WITH OPTIMISATION
IMAGES
2
THEN COMPRESSION
http://imageoptim.com/ https://tinypng.com/
FUTURE
FRIENDLINESS
3
THE WEB DOESN’T HAVE
A FIXED WIDTH
3
We should embrace the fact that
the web doesn’t have the same
constraints [as the printed page]
and design for this flexibility.
JOHN ALLSOPP
http://alistapart.com/article/dao/
Photo credit: TEDxNSW: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42645924@N02/3933255654/
3
3
LAYOUTS BASED ON CONTENT
RATHER THAN DEVICE
3
RESPONSIVE DESIGN WORKFLOW
3
SKETCH
3
Copyright: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation & Paramount Pictures
SKETCH
PROTOTYPE
3
Copyright: Paramount Pictures & Marvel Enterprises
http://styletil.es/
3
3
TEST, TEST AND TEST SOME MORE
Copyright: The Ladd Company & Shaw Brothers & Warner Bros. http://vanamco.com/ghostlab/
ACCESSIBILITY
4
7 QUICK WINS FOR
ACCESSIBILITY
4
Image Copyright: Paramount Pictures & Lucasfilm
1. DESIGN FOR TOUCH BY
DEFAULT
4
ARE YOUR DESIGNS FINGER FRIENDLY?
ARE YOU RELYING TOO HEAVILY ON HOVER?
2. MAKE THE PURPOSE OF
ALL LINKS AS CLEAR AND
DESCRIPTIVE AS POSSIBLE
IF YOUR LINKS SAY “CLICK HERE”
YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG
4
3. MAKE URLS HUMAN
READABLE AND PERMANENT
WHERE POSSIBLE
HTTP://ART.COM/ARTGALLERY/DEFAULT.ASP?
ID=9DF4BC0580DF11D3ACB60090271E26A8&COMMAND=FREELIST
4
4. USE APPROPRIATE INPUT
TYPES AND ATTRIBUTES ON
FORMS
4
5. CREATE A HIDDEN SKIP
NAVIGATION LINK
4
6. DON’T USE PLACEHOLDERS
AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR LABELS
ON FORMS
4
http://www.webaxe.org/placeholder-attribute-is-not-a-label/Image credit: Dave Bushell: http://dbushell.com/2013/11/08/form-label-design/
7. PROOF DESIGNS IN GREYSCALE
TO CHECK COLOUR CONTRAST
4
Related: http://24ways.org/2012/colour-accessibility/
THE RESULTS
SINCE LAUNCH:
200%
INCREASE IN
MOBILE
TRAFFIC
43%
INCREASE IN
CONVERSION
RATE
-4000%
REDUCTION IN
HOMEPAGE EXIT
RATE ON MOBILE
MUCH TO LEARN THERE IS
Copyright: Lucasfilm
THANK YOU
@duckymatt
@cyberduck_uk
Copyright: Studio 37 & La Petite Reine & La Classe Américaine
& JD Prod & France 3 Cinéma & Jouror Productions & uFilm

Adapting to Responsive Design - London Web - Feb 2015