When it comes to the ideal website, it can be difficult determining which type is best for your business’s needs, especially when it comes to responsive or adaptive design. In order to help you better understand, we are breaking down the differences between responsive web design and adaptive web design.

Responsive Design 

With a responsive web design, you can rest assured that your website is fully functional at any display size, no matter the device being used, which means that your website is very user-friendly and will automatically adjust to the screen the on the user’s device.

A responsive design is the most popular types of design that web designers use, and is preferred by the majority of businesses. Responsive design requires less technical work than having an adaptive layout, but it allows the website to be fully compatible with any resolution, which is good because mobile devices are always being updated, especially when it comes to their resolution and means that you won’t have to worry about updating your website every time a new device is released.

Adaptive Design

Adaptive design layouts are designed for specific resolutions and the display sizes are dependent upon the browsing window that you are looking at in, which means that an adaptive design layout will check the resolution of your browsing screen, loading your webpage in a the necessary way in order to properly display for that specific resolution.

While a responsive layout generally performs better than adaptive, designers admit that in specific cases where there is some complex web applications and fields that need to be fine-turned, that adaptive design is better than responsive for that particular website. Whether you are using a mobile device or a desktop, with the ability to fine-tune and customize your site layout at any resolution, you can be sure that things like your embedded app or order form are displayed correctly.

Mobile-friendly websites are imperative in today’s world, so regardless of which design you choose, as long as you are allowing for a more positive user-friendly experience every time someone visits your website. For more information on which type of design is best for you and your specific needs, contact Windy City Web Designs.