I consider myself to be a very creative and visual person, that explains the interest in this class. But I am NO a computer wiz. I dont understand big technical words and coding doesn’t come easy to me. So Before I even started reading these articles, I knew they were going to be confusing. But honestly, they were really interesting! (not saying they still weren’t confusing).
To start off with Responsive Web Design by Ethan Marcotte, I definitely learned a lot from reading that. Not so much things I could relay back to you, but so many things and concepts and facts i’ve never heard of. One of the first things he says in the article is, “Mobile browsing is expected to outpace desktop-based access within three to five years.” That sounds like a long time but its way sooner than we think and thats crazy to think about! In less than 10 years people wont be using laptops like we do today? Who knows what technology is going to develop then. All I know is, and like Marcotte says, “Our work is defined by our transience”. Meaning everything is always getting replaced, updated or refined. Thats what the future is all about! Especially in the world of Technology.
In the Introduction to CSS Media Queries by Arpan Dhandhania, he explained the concept of Media Queries and why they are so important to website building today. He talked about how incredibly horrible life would be for web designers if you had to build and maintain multiple versions of each page to cater to each screen. And thanks to CSS3, it made everything a whole lot more exciting. The idea is that you can personalize your layout of a website depending which size device it is. He went on more to physically show us what the code would look like which I found extremely helpful. It’s such a mind blowing concept that I still cant really fully comprehend. (no surprise)
And lastly, in The Pros and Cons of Responsive Web Design vs. Mobile Website vs Native App by Armen Ghazarian was the most interesting to me. He explained in detail the pros and cons of different mobile optimization methods. Most websites will administer at least one of these methods, if not all. The obvious choice of the three that undoubtedly will have a greater impact on the company ( or whatever it is), is The Native App. Their Pros consists of excellent user experience, accessibility and speed, visibility. In short, an App is just an easier and more eye-catching method. Though their are some Cons, for example, Apps are definitely the most costly of the three. Also in terms of flexibility, it is sort of a pain. If you are wanting to get your app in the app store, it could take up to weeks to be approved. Making updates a little tiring.
Nonetheless, like Ghazarian says in closing, its all about the best solution that works in term for your company and your user
I agree, the verbiage and phrasing is confusing to me as well. Sometimes I have to look each concept up again due to the fast pace of the course. Also, we do not really get the full in-depth lecture and separate lab time available during a regular semester. When I read Ghazarian’s article, it appeared that mobile website and native app are the same design. I still do not understand the difference between the two. Unless an app is the new design and style for all mobile devices, but then where does that leave web design?
I really liked the pros and cons article too. Native and mobile is really confusing.