Is Your Responsive Design
Responsive Enough?
James Zetlen • Software Architect • Mozu
Dane Downer • Cofounder/Vice-President • Brand Labs
The “One Size Fits All” Philosophy!
  Plato focused on perfect “forms”, meaning:

  Physical objects only resemble the ideal

  The simplest definition is the correct one

  To Plato, humans were “featherless bipeds”

  Then…Diogenes threw a plucked chicken at
him!
Chicken Thrower
Responsive Development!
Problems!
  Responsive development should be
about responding to users’ needs

  Not simply “mobile readiness”

  Responsive is a specific style

  Your project / users might require a
different approach
Purpose-Driven Web Philosophy!
  What are your goals? Assess. Then adopt.

  Responsive is only ONE tool. Consider:

  Progressive Enhancement

  Graceful Degradation

  Adaptive Design

  Predictive Development: using a build process,
one set of assets becomes many
What is Predictive!
Development?!
  Avoids the poor performance of carelessly
developed responsive sites

  Provides faster load times to billions of
people with slow broadband access

  It’s developer-friendly!

  Just as convenient, quick and "
elegant as responsive
When Responsive Works Best!
  Content is more important than interactions
  Interactions present, but secondary
  Spatial relationships are few and consistent
  Client begins with a mobile vision
  Long-form writing, presentations, galleries, portfolios
Content First means Responsive!
When Predictive Works Better!
  “Web app”, not web site!
  Complex interactions!
  Spatial relationships are important!
!
  Image-focused site, or site with other heavy assets !
  Large navigation hierarchy!
Interactions First means Predictive!
Different Strokes!
  The Future-Friendly Web needs all we’ve got
  Even powerful techniques don’t work for all

  Opposing philosophies can work together
  Purpose-driven Web philosophy

uses many schools of thought, 

just like us.

“All the good are friends of one another.”



 
– Zeno of Citium
THANK YOU!

Responsive: From Design to Philosophy

  • 1.
    Is Your ResponsiveDesign Responsive Enough? James Zetlen • Software Architect • Mozu Dane Downer • Cofounder/Vice-President • Brand Labs
  • 2.
    The “One SizeFits All” Philosophy!   Plato focused on perfect “forms”, meaning:   Physical objects only resemble the ideal   The simplest definition is the correct one   To Plato, humans were “featherless bipeds”   Then…Diogenes threw a plucked chicken at him! Chicken Thrower
  • 3.
    Responsive Development! Problems!   Responsivedevelopment should be about responding to users’ needs   Not simply “mobile readiness”   Responsive is a specific style   Your project / users might require a different approach
  • 5.
    Purpose-Driven Web Philosophy!  What are your goals? Assess. Then adopt.   Responsive is only ONE tool. Consider:   Progressive Enhancement   Graceful Degradation   Adaptive Design   Predictive Development: using a build process, one set of assets becomes many
  • 6.
    What is Predictive! Development?!  Avoids the poor performance of carelessly developed responsive sites   Provides faster load times to billions of people with slow broadband access   It’s developer-friendly!   Just as convenient, quick and " elegant as responsive
  • 7.
    When Responsive WorksBest!   Content is more important than interactions   Interactions present, but secondary   Spatial relationships are few and consistent   Client begins with a mobile vision   Long-form writing, presentations, galleries, portfolios
  • 8.
  • 9.
    When Predictive WorksBetter!   “Web app”, not web site!   Complex interactions!   Spatial relationships are important! !   Image-focused site, or site with other heavy assets !   Large navigation hierarchy!
  • 10.
  • 11.
    Different Strokes!   TheFuture-Friendly Web needs all we’ve got   Even powerful techniques don’t work for all   Opposing philosophies can work together   Purpose-driven Web philosophy
 uses many schools of thought, 
 just like us. “All the good are friends of one another.” – Zeno of Citium
  • 12.