As the class and time keeps moving, we learn new and practical (most of the time not easy) techniques for building a website and how to design it and make it interesting for viewers. In this blog post I’ll talk about the three articles that we read and what I learned or understand in each one of them, all of them covering responsive media design and how it works.
Article 1- A list apart: Responsive Web Design.
In this article written by Ethan Marcotte back in 2010, the introduction to responsive web design is made and it compares it to how architecture and web designs are different. In this article, it explains the basics of architecture and how it follows certain criteria to maintain and persist over time, unlike web design; web design has come to a point in time in which it has to adapt to the demand of different sources and browsers, different viewers and the way they see this websites, either in mobile devices and desktops. It also talks about how working with CSS can alter much more than the style and function/display of pictures, but also the ability to shift and change the adaptation at the website in any device that is more accessible to the user. It also talks and explains how and why fluid grids, flexible images and media queries are the three technical ingredients or responsive web design. To read this article visit http://alistapart.com/article/responsive-web-design
Article 2- Introduction to CSS Media Queries.
In this article, the main concept covered is how CSS style sheets and its different version have helped designers to work and change websites for the good of users. In this article, what is mostly covered is how CSS3 has arrived to make things easier for designers when working in the design of websites that can be adaptable for phones or other mobile devices without respecting one single version, but making available for many other options of view. CSS3 is basically the adding of more coding lines or words to the original CSS, so its learning and application is not hard but as any other coding works, it’s not a piece of cake. To read this article and have a more detailed idea of what it is visit http://mobile.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/css/introduction-to-css-media-queries.html
Article 3- The Pros and Cons of Responsive Web Design vs. Mobile Website vs. Native App
This article talks about how many websites are trying to go mobile and make navigation easier for viewers, but it also talks about the good and not-that-good of having this advantages. To read the whole article and have a view of examples visit http://designmodo.com/responsive-design-vs-mobile-website-vs-app/
Before this class, I never even thought about how some websites look good on a mobile device and how some don’t. It’s interesting learn about the process of making a site function as good as it can on every tool at our disposal. I’ve definitely seen some sites that don’t do worry about it at all.