RWD- Responsive Web Design is a concept that has been in the industry since a couple of years. This is an ample amount of time in any system to get used to. But as far as web designing and web development is concerned the very technique has changed whole dimensions of working pattern. Ranging from client education to time and cost effectiveness of methods, there are ample difficulties web designers are facing in this changed hemisphere of web developing. But I don’t think it’s that much of Pandora’s Box as the most developers and designers are thinking. Here we have listed certain most common problems along with their solutions.
“I Can’t Convince My Client.”
When developers are designing the website in traditional way, it was quite easy to make client understand how their website will be? You were having lots of options such as visual samples and many more. When you are creating a RWD, it’s a bit difficult to explain your client about this new methodology. RWD is a dynamic technique and it voids any pre-visuals. So, what can one do to convince a client?
SOLUTION:
Be practical. Yes be practical literally!! Give live demonstrations to your clients. Use the websites you have previously created. Arrange various devices such as PC, Laptop, Tablet and Mobile and load the same site equipped with RWD. After that try to load site on all the devices which does not have responsive web design. The live demonstration and comparison between two web design methods will extremely help you to educate your client.
“Directions are Not So Direct”
When there are static sites in trend, you may have seen the traditional navigation system. In those sites either you will find horizontal navigation bar housing on the top or you can see the vertical navigation bar on the left of the webpage.
But as far as the Responsive design is concerned you have to think a lot before setting up a Navigation system for the site. As you have to make a design that suits the entire range of Smart and computing devices.
SOLUTION:
Understand your site, its idea and basic theme. The navigation system for RWD basically depends upon the overall architecture of the site. Then you can think about certain ideas. In this particular area of web development you have to work hard (in terms of ideas along with consumed time). You have to test each idea practically on different devices. And then you can decide with which design you can go.
“Images and Tables” – doesn’t look appealing to developers!
It is like a scalp scratching act to generate adaptive images and tables. If you think in one way there is no crystal clear solution for this problem. If you think the other way there are tricks (to be honest, they are just tricks and not a solution!) that can help you to achieve your goal. Here they are…
SOLUTION:
For images…
• You can use CSS editors
• You can go for SVG graphics
• Oak studios have developed Symbolset icon fonts, which are also quite handy.
For tables…
• Use responsive tables developed by Zurb or by David Bushell
• You can use .html tables instead of common static ones.
It takes a lot of Time and Heft of Bucks!!
Creating a Responsive Web Design takes lot of time. In addition to this it also consume a lot of time while testing it. RWD is a thing where you have to use “trial and error” techniques a lot more that you have ever imagined. So if you are not a big organization with surplus profits you must be all the time worried regarding your testing devices’ cost. As a freelancer or small organization you cannot own all the forms of devices.
SOLUTION:
For a simple answer you should expand!! Apart from joke, you can make communities offline and online for freelancers and small organizations working in web development field. By creating forums and communities you can use shared devices and you can also use devices individually owned. This idea will help you to decrease testing cost till you be a big organization.
As far as time is concerned there are lots of tools nowadays available such as enhanced prototyping, development directly into browser and less dependence on static fixed visual that can reduce testing time.
So, over and all by using your creative mind you can come over the challenges you are facing while developing Responsive Web Design. This field is still developing and we are hoping that the designers and developers have lot more technologies and tools in near future that can reduce their efforts. So wait and watch with fingers crossed!!
