Adaptive & Responsive Websites – An Overview

A major stir in the web design and development industry has occurred with the launch of multiple platforms where websites can be viewed. Apart from PC and Laptops, the users are now using iPads, Tablets, Mobile Phones and other devices to browse websites. This calls for the need to develop websites that are compatible on screens with varied resolutions and sizes.

There are two ways of achieving this. However, as far as Mobile Screens are concerned, though it is possible to develop a website in a way that it fits itself to suit the mobile screen,but it is not recommended. Mobile browsing demands minimalistic content and navigation as the users view it on a small screen, even if it is a large screen handset, it still does not accommodate as much content as a desktop which is the base of website design  Mobile website development is the ideal solution for reaching out to visitors coming to your website through their smart phones.

Coming back to the solution..

·         Responsive Website Development

When a website is developed as a responsive website, it re sizes itself dynamically to fit the screen size it is being viewed upon. The website elements rearrange themselves to suit the dimensions of the screen while no information is lost. Responsive websites are developed using flexible grids and flexible elements within them that re-size themselves based on the percentage of screen space they acquire in a given dimension of the screen.

·         Adaptive Website Development

An adaptive design makes the website suitable for viewing on multiple screen resolutions by defining placement and size of elements in some fixed sizes. This makes the website compatible for viewing on different devices as it captures the closest predefined assortment of website elements.

Both the methods are equally successful in making your website user friendly on different browsers/ devices however the difference, if any, lies only in the fluidity of the responsiveness of the website. Adaptive or responsive, web design companies are now focusing on offering the customers the best solution and it is definitely an advantage to have a flexible website.