BY ETOP - ESSIEN EMMANUELLA, UPDATED ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2022
In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of responsive design and adaptive design.
We will exlplore the following :
⁜ The definition of Responsive Design
⁜ The definition of Adaptive Design
⁜ The Comparison between Responsive and Adaptive Design
⁜ The Advantages and Disadvantages of Responsive Design
A website created with responsive disign uses just one layout for a webpage and "responsively" adjusts to better fit the user's screen, whether it's a desktop, a laptop, a tablet or mobile phone.
Responsive Design makes use of media queries to target breakpoints which scale images, wraptext & adjust layouts. HTML & CSS are used in responsive design.
A website created with adaptive design has different layouts of the webpage for the differnt devices. This means that, there are multiple versions of a web page to fit someone's device as opposed to a single, static page (and reorders or resizes content) across all devices.
Not only do adaptive design make use of css media queries they also make use of JavaScript. This is done to change the site's HTML markup based on various device capabilities.
| S/N | Comparison | Responsive Design | Adaptive Design |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Layout | Layout is determined by the visitor's browser window. | Layout is determined by the backend. |
| 2 | Load Time | The load time is not as fast as adaptive design. | It loads faster. |
| 3 | Difficulty | It involves extra attention to the site's css and organisation to ensure it is functional on all screen sizes. | It may be more difficult in the sense that you'll need different layout for devices. |
| 4 | Flexibility | It is more flexible as it requires less maintenance. | It is less flexible. If there is a new screen size in the market, adaptive websites require more occassional maintenance. |
| 5 | SEO friendliness | Google recommends and rewards sites that use responsive design. | SEO finds adaptive website challenging. |
✓ It is search engine friendly.
✓ It is flexible.
✓ It takes less time and work to create and maintain.
✓ It is easier to implement.
✓ It is widely used.
✓ It is less expensive.
✓ It is very good for small to medium sized company.
✓ It ideal for new business.
✕ Developers would do more coding
✕ It takes more time for the page to load
✕ The Elements can move around.
✕ It is difficult to intergrate advertisement into a responsive design website - Ads are to accomodate all resolutions. Therefore, asthe site adjusts to specific screeen sizes, the ads may not properly configure.
✓ The page loads faster.
✓ Adaptive design intergrates advertising.
✓ It has better user experience.
✓ It is best for website enhancement.
✓ It is best for speed dependent sites.
✓ It is best for complex sites.
✓ It is best for speed dependent sites.
✕ It takes a lot of effort to create due to the number of technical aspects.
✕ It is not widely used.
✕ It is complex to modify.
More technologies are being introduced to the market. Ensure you understand and plan for your needs, goals and budget. This way you are more clear on what design to choose.
Etop - Essien Emmanuella is a freelance web developer, UI/UX designer. She has and continues to work on a number of projects. Some of which may include - ubcodes.com , drumkit.me , blog posts, Nuevicsu and other websites.