Mobile usage has overtaken desktop, with 48% of mobile experiences starting on search engines. Responsive web design allows a single website to automatically fit any screen size, while adaptive design optimizes specifically for mobile limitations and opportunities. Responsive design is generally easier to develop and maintain than adaptive, but adaptive may be better for complex websites to avoid poor mobile user experience. Most clients are best served with a responsive solution.

1. Mobile Web

2. Mobile Web Statistics
"Mobile to overtake fixed Internet access by 2014" was the huge headline summarising
the bold prediction from 2008 by Mary Meeker – a web analyst.
The prediction was almost spot
on, and we are now well past the
mobile tipping point, which
means that mobile marketing for
the web is more important than
ever.

3. Mobile Web Statistics
• 48% of mobile web experiences start on search
engines
• 33% start straight away on branded websites
• 26% start on branded apps
• 89% of time spent on media is through mobile
apps
• 11% of time spent on media is through the web

4. Reasons to go responsive/adaptive
• Over 30% of Google searches are performed on a mobile device.
• 40% of people will choose a different search result if the first is not mobile friendly
• Across all industries, mobile traffic is increasing by 3.5% per month
• 4 out of 5 consumers shop on smartphones
• 70% of mobile searches lead to an action within the hour
• 45% of users ages 18-29 use their smartphones for searches every day
• Payment processing company square passed 1 billion transactions last year
• Phablets have outsold PC’s and are set to outsell tablets this year

5. Responsive Web Design
Responsive web design allows you to have a single website
that automatically fits the screen size of the device on
which it is being viewed.
This is achieved by adapting the content, design,
navigation and method of interaction to deliver the same
comfort and usability to the mobile user as to the desktop
user.
One website that looks equally well on all types of devices.

6. RWD examples
http://beta.rallyinteractive.com/
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/map/

7. Adaptive Web Design
An adaptive web design is designed specifically for mobile
devices considering all the limitations and opportunities
of the platform.
Key things to consider when designing and developing for
a mobile website is the smaller screen size, connection
speed, and touch methods.
Content must be fast loading, easily-accessible and
readable.
The best AWD websites actually are a little bit responsive
as well to ensure that they fit on every mobile screen that
they are viewed on.
http://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/
http://m.thesalaraycalculator.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
http://m.bbc.co.uk/http://www.adventureisland.co.uk/

8. RWD v AWD
RWD
POSITIVES:
NEGATIVES:
• A single website - Much easier to administer just one website
for all devices
• A single URL - Makes sure that users can find the website with
ease without having to wait for re-directs, which is helper if the
user is on a slower connection
• Easy SEO - You can use all of the SEO that has been used on the
desktop website, nothing extra is needed.
• Easy marketing - No extra work needed for the marketing
department to promote your website on mobile.
• Low cost - Due to only one website being needed, it takes far
less time to develop, which means you are saving money.
• Having just one website for all devices may be easy to develop,
but not always for the users.
• As RWD is relatively new there are still some older browsers
that will load the website too slowly or even not fully.
• UX - Mobile experience is completely different to web
experience so may harm your overall UX.
AWD
POSITIVES:
NEGATIVES:
• UX - Specifically optimised for mobile devices, considering all
benefits and limitations of each platform.
• Speed - Your website will load fast and easily on mobile
platforms.
• Mobile optimised - Should have better chances to rank higher
in search engines due to their optimisation.
• Suited better to more complex back ends that need a lot of
customisation to be user friendly on mobile.
• Multiple URL’s - Either your customer has to remember the
mobile URL or have to wait to be redirected.
• Maintenance - You will have to maintain 2 or more websites.
• Not universally compatible - You have to consider that there
are two different types of mobile devices: touchscreen and
keyboard navigation. A single mobile website won’t look and
work the same way across all device types.

9. To sum up
• Responsive tends to be a better option than adaptive, due to it being a cheaper, easier, suited
to all devices and also a more successful option, as you are just adding code to an existing
website rather than creating a completely new website.
• Adaptive is still a completely viable option if the website required is very complex in design
and back-end, as forcing a website to be responsive that is complex and has a busy UI, could
lead to loss of important information and poor UX which in turn will potentially lead to a
negative experience.
• Most of our clients will be after a responsive solution so it’s always worth up-selling for them
to create a responsive version due to the majority of people accessing web from mobile
phones.