I start every morning with a cup of coffee and then check my email and news headlines. I used to sit at my home office desk, boot up my computer, log into my email account and get started on my day. Then I found that my laptop allowed me to comfortably sit upstairs with my wife and kids and still get the same job done. Recently, however, something interesting has been happening. After I traded in my Blackberry for an iPhone a couple of years ago I realized it has slowly become so much more than a telephone and email client. One recent morning I realized that (with the iPhone’s brilliant Retina display) I had read a full 7 page article on my iPhone! No more desktop, no more laptop, just a small hand held device that has allowed me to consume a heck of a lot of information in a short amount of time and on my terms.
Every single day, as society becomes increasingly “mobile” the number and variety of devices, browsers, and platforms that must work with your website grows. Responsive Web Design is a way of designing and coding a website to provide an optimal viewing and navigating experience across a wide range of devices: Desktop, laptop, tablet or smart phone. Without responsive design, your beautiful website becomes very clunky and hard to read on smaller screens, and that means lost opportunities to connect with new clients. In the past, law firms and other online businesses would go to great expense to build device-specific mobile versions of their websites—one for iOS, one for Android and so on. With the newest web systems available you can now have a website that seamlessly flexes to any device allowing your firm to stay engaged with new prospects that are on-the-go. Responsive web design is redefining the way we build websites for the future.
Still wondering if Responsive Web Design is necessary for your firm?
Check out a few statistics:
- By 2016, US mobile users will increase from 174 million to 265 million. (IDC, Worldwide New Media Market Model, 2012)
- By 2016, US users accessing the Internet through PCs will shrink from 240 million consumers to 225 million. (IDC, Worldwide New Media Market Model, 2012)
- Smartphone use in the US is growing 28% year-over-year. (KPCB Internet Trends 2013)
- Mobile users check their phone on average 150 times a day. (KPCB Internet Trends 2013)
Needless to say, Responsive Web Design is a critical part of ensuring that that no matter where your potential clients are, you site will provide a great viewing experience and minimize lost opportunities.