Adaptive vs Responsive Web Design – What You Need to Know

The whole point of having an online presence is so that people can see what your business or organisation has to offer, and you can gain leads and/or sales as a result. This means that your website needs to be designed to be as effective as possible. If it does not do its job, you are simply wasting the money you are investing in it.

One of the easiest ways to make sure that you get your web design right is to speak to an expert in website design in Adelaide, and they can do the work for you. However, it still helps if you know what you are looking for when it comes to designing your site. One of the decisions you may have to make is whether to choose adaptive or responsive web design.

Adaptive and responsive design – what is the difference?

Responsive web design is a popular choice for many businesses, it also comes with a Google recommendation as the most useful means by which to ensure that your website can be viewed using different devices. Using responsive design means that one design layout fits to different screen sizes as soon the type of device being used is recognised.

On the other hand, adaptive design involves the use of several different layouts, based on different sized screens. The appropriate size of layout is loaded as soon as the size of the screen being used is recognised.

What are the pros and cons of adaptive and responsive web design?

Responsive web design is most often recommended, but it’s often complicated to achieve. This means that it can be expensive, especially for an SME. However, it does guarantee that your website layout will fit to the size on any screen, and it’s quick to load because only one design layout is involved.

Adaptive web design is more affordable, as it’s not as complex. However, it does rely on templates of a certain size fitting to appropriate screen sizes. Given the regularity with which new devices are brought to the market, it could be that a device with a screen that does not match with your layouts is released. This means that work would need to be done to create a further layout with the correct size. Websites which use adaptive design usually take longer to load which can be a deterrent to mobile device users who often expect a page to load within 3-4 seconds.

It would seem that responsive web design is the logical choice, but there are other factors to consider. SMEs with small budgets may prefer the affordability of adaptive design. If you have an SME there is also a good chance that your website will not be huge. This means that load speed should not be affected to a great extent and that creating additional design layouts will not be that onerous. If you are unsure about which type of design is best for your business, seeking professional advice may be a good idea.