IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MOBILE WEBSITE AND RESPONSIVE DESIGN?

Our customers ask us all the time "what's the difference if I decide to have a mobile website instead of a responsive design," Hopefully, this article will explain the major variations between these two different types of website solution.

There are significant differences between a mobile and responsive website, respectively.

With the world going seriously mobile, the need for a compatible mobile browser-safe site is becoming paramount for attracting people to your brand and delivering quick and straightforward touch screen-activated functionality to the end user. The speed of the page that loads on your mobile device and the rapid progression through pages make mobile websites & responsive design a definite plus for all online businesses.

Both options are a viable solution to getting your website optimized for mobile and tablet technology, however opting for a mobile site usually costs a lot more than opting for a responsive website.

Let's start with explaining Mobile Website Characteristics.

Mobile sites are designed and developed differently from responsive sites.

Mobile sites are designed and developed entirely differently for a start. Usually, beginning with a sitemap, pages get created so that when an end-user navigates through pages, a structure will lead from one page to another. A mobile site has a purpose that needs to be thoroughly worked out before beginning design and development.

The above image is an example of a typical sitemap for a mobile website. Could you ensure that you have given attention to the primary purpose of the comprehensive site and the functions it will perform when beginning development?

The Mobile user interface appears differently on screen than the responsive design.

When a mobile site displays on a mobile screen, it is self-evident that of a responsive layout. Mobile areas are way more functional than their responsive counterparts, and each page is specially designed so that the mobile site looks much more professional. As stated earlier in this article, each page on a mobile website will have a unique design, which is the same for the functions you find yourself clicking and interacting with when using it.

A mobile website page will have the look and feel of a mobile application. Information will be minimal, and the functional aspect of the total page will look completely different and coordinate with the page's other technical features.

A mobile website does not eliminate the need to have a desktop site!

Just because you have a mobile site does not mean there are other websites you will need. Yes, most people are using mobiles and tablets to access the internet, but the laptop and desktop PC users of this world still need to be able to view a website on their monitors; this is why having a mobile site can be costly. Not only will you still need a traditional desktop site, but you will also need a tablet website. Have you thought of the management? Will you do the changes via FTP (File Transfer Protocol), or will you use a CMS (Content Management System)? Will your websites be managed separately, or will content update simultaneously?

Take the time to think long and hard about what type of solution will best suit your budget, will be the easiest to manage and what the ongoing costs may or may not be!

Q.Why is mobile more expensive than responsive?

Because more work is involved in designing multiple templates, more time and effort is thinking about how the pages need to interact. Then there is the functionality that the mobile website needs to perform.

1. Will it use the GPS of the mobile phone for location-tracking purposes?
2. Will there be payment processing pages?

It also depends on what your intentions are for the project in question. Would you choose a mobile website for a regular 5-page brochure site? No? Because brochure sites are usually informative pages describing location, services and contact details, they would be a perfect choice for a responsive website.

Q.What about tablet website design?

We have yet to discuss this solution; a tablet screen has an entirely different Graphical User Interface (GUI). Have you ever used a tablet device? Plenty of web elements are designed specifically for these screens, sliders, toggles, and touch-enabled graphics that let you change monetary amounts or make an image bigger or smaller. When considering a mobile website design, please consider all the other needed sites. What tends to happen is that business owners are not as up-to-date as all of us young digital gurus, so what starts off as a small project can grow into multiple websites on multiple devices performing various functions! So how do you manage these various sites on all these platforms? Could you let me know where I am going with this? My advice would be to work out exactly why you need a website in the first place and then research, research, research; whatever you do, do not go into it unthinkingly unless your pockets are bottomless and you have the staff that can manage all of these different online solutions!

Take a look at some designed mobile interface screens below:

As you can see above, each mobile screen has been specially designed to work within the confines of an iPhone 6 interface; each design element has considered the purpose of the page and how a user will interact with it.

Mobile website facts:

• Specially designed for mobile phone handsets.
• They are coded to appear when a mobile device accesses the domain.
• Can use various functionality already pre-built into a cell phone, e.g., GPS, click to call, and Calendar (to name but a few).
• Quick loading because of minified code and assets.
• Present precisely required information.
• Give your business a boost on Google Moblie Search.
• Bring a level of sophistication to your company.
• It doesn't eliminate the need to have a desktop website
• It will not necessarily work on tablets.

If you are interested in reading more, you can follow this link for more reasons to have a mobile website design.

Responsive Design Characteristics

While mobile sites have been designed specifically for mobile phone devices, responsive website design is for every device, including mobile phones, tablets, PC desktops and any monitor of any size.

These design styles are coded to resize and fit the width dimensions of the screen.

?Usually, responsive sites are coded on a grid layout, and so when viewed on a large screen will show the total size of a typical desktop-based website; when the size of the display reduces in width to a tablet device that is in landscape format, the device detects code in the structure of the website. It resizes the dimensions accordingly, showing the same content you viewed on the desktop monitor. Holding the tablet in a vertical position will shift the content according to the dimensions of the screen width. When using a mobile device, the website will then change again down to a one-grid column width, and all the website content will appear in a single line allowing for swiping the screen in a downward gesture.

Example of a responsive grid layout below

Responsive website facts:

• The website is designed and developed to fit all screen sizes.
• Usually, the next step for small business owners when re-designing the site.
• Content is delivered seamlessly to all handheld mobile device browsers.
• Give your business a boost on Google Moblie Search.
• Bring a level of sophistication to your company and look more professional online.

The cost usually plays a large part in deciding which solution would be the right choice!

Both options are viable solutions to optimising your website for mobile and tablet technology; however, opting for a mobile site usually costs much more than opting for a responsive website.

Q.Why is responsive the best option for small business owners?

Most business owners need help understanding the benefits of either solution. The online world to people over 45 is all a bit of a mystery, one web company will say one thing, and another will say something else. Prices vary drastically in web design, and it is no surprise that very few companies buy the right digital solution. Then there is the budget that owners set aside for the project. It should come as no surprise that if you only have a budget of one thousand pounds, your website will reflect that. At Mediatopia, we usually look at how long the project will take, reflecting the price we charge! This is why responsive websites are the most obvious choice, as the cost of producing one is less time intensive; however, expect the world to be on a different plate.

Mediatopia can help your business create the right solution

Now that you have read this article, you may better understand the differences. Deciding on the right solution for your business website can be daunting; knowing whom to ask or which web company will be the best choice will cause some headaches.

At Mediatopia, we have been creating responsive websites since 2011, as we always have our finger on the pulse of the latest and best technology. Today we are still creating responsive websites, but we have perfected the look and feel so that each site represents the needs and services of your business and that they look and work great on all modern tablets and mobile devices.

Please take a look at the article on our website.

?

?