7 Jan 2022
In this cutthroat digital age, the experience a user has on your site might as well make or break you – particularly in the U.S., where unsuspecting users here expect and demand the razzle and dazzle of seamless and lightning-quick, web interactions. As companies sip to polish across devices…the inevitable question is unveiled: Responsive or Adaptive Web Design: What one gets the best buzz with Internet users?
In this blog, we first look at the differences between the strategies, compare their respective strengths and guide you toward which approach is most beneficial for user behavior, performance requirements, and commercial objectives— with real-life examples on how DigiFista helps global brands with an effortless, scalable web strategy built around user needs.
Responsive web design (RWD) is an approach which makes design fluid and responsive to fit all screen sizes. No matter if your user is using a mobile or a desktop, the Fortuna design will reshape according to the device the user is looking at.
Adaptive web design (AWD) is a customized design that involves the design of several versions of a website, each of which is targeted at specific device widths. It checks for the device type and then includes the related layout.
Knowing your market is everything. U.S. consumers are not light users of multiple devices:
All of which to say: your website needs to be fast, consistent and intuitive to engage with on any device – something that both responsive design and adaptive design work to accomplish, but in completely different ways.
It works for American readers who have diverse reading habits and are used to the flexibility of responsive design. It adapts fluidly to provide a consistent UX on mobile and desktop. In addition, Google may favor responsive designs, so that’s important, and SEO will be huge—especially in the U.S. market—whoops, that’s two things.
Performance-driven applications (media rich websites, e-commerce product customizer, gaming platform), are where adaptive design can really be a star. When performance and controls are a priority, adaptive may provide a better experience — especially if a company knows the specific devices that its audience uses most.
While we’re looking at U.S. audiences, global trends in web development can help inform our decision making. Responsive design has been a web design and development company Australia favorite for years for its scalability and long-term cost effectiveness.
Businesses seek ecommerce development services in Australia and modern solutions, that is why they choose flexible and responsive web design as with them you will never lose a single sale ever while someone surfing it on the phone. When done right by a professional web development agency Australia such as DigiFista, who has good knowledge in both Western and worldwide UX requirements, such technique can have the real impact.
We are an affordable web design company in Australia which provide priority to user-first websites that are aesthetically appealing as well as functional, scalable and conversion-focused. Their projects for U.S. and other international clients, and they design mobile-first strategies that are congruent with what American users have come to expect of their modern web experiences.
A New York based online fashion retailer going responsive and improved mobile sales by 32% within the span of three months. Their previous flexible implementation offered optimal mobile UX, but was difficult to maintain and scale over time. Streamlining operations and improving performance by getting in touch with a mobile-first agency is evidence that responsive design seems to have found a sweet spot in the U.S. market.
| Feature | Responsive Design | Adaptive Design |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility | ✅ High | ❌ Limited |
| Speed on Mobile | ⚠️ Variable | ✅ High |
| Maintenance | ✅ Simple | ❌ Complex |
| SEO Compatibility | ✅ Preferred | ⚠️ Needs Optimization |
| User Experience | ✅ Consistent | ✅ Customized |
Want long-term growth, manageable content and SEO, and to be futureproofed, resonated with American eyes? Responsive web design is the surefire way. Adaptive design is best left for edge cases where optimizing performance on multiple devices is key.
In the final analysis, your website is the digital front door of your brand. You want to focus on American consumers or you want to expand your business in glocalization, making the Right PSD to HTML conversion for web design is key to engagement, conversion and brand trust.
DigiFista creates high performance websites using solid UX and modern design principles, along with data-led design choices. Being a web development company Australia known to big businesses around the world, DigiFista offers affordable web design services in Australia and high-end development services that treat your audience the way they want to be treated.
From creating websites in Australia to optimizing mobile experiences for US based users, DigiFista has the know-how to make your site look incredible and work incredibly well too!
Get DigiFista and build a site that speaks to every screen — and to every user — in front of it.
