Developing fixed-sized web pages is a fundamentally flawed practice

These were the words of James Kalback, in an article he wrote back in 2002, while working on the very first website built with ‘responsive design’. And while his first attempt was originally written off as a failure, responsive design has since become one of the most important practices in modern web design.

But what is responsive design? Why is it becoming more relevant as technology advances? And why is it something that HR professionals need to start demanding from their HR software? Let’s find out.

What is responsive design?

Let’s start by covering the basics. What is responsive design?

In a nutshell, it is a way of building web pages that automatically detect screen size and resolution. They transform themselves to provide the optimum viewing experience. The idea is to make the website as easy as possible to browse, no matter which device the visitor is using – smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop.

Have you ever visited a website where you’ve had to pinch, pull and drag just to see what’s going on? That’s the opposite of responsive design!

It all began with Audi

As is often the case with technological shifts, it all started with a big, successful company: Audi. 

Mr Kalbach, reccounting his earlier days working at Razorfish in Hamburg, says that his team were working on the relaunch of Audi.com. While discussing page layout flexibility, they decided to try something new. They decided to break away from the traditional fixed-size web page.

Their first pass was fairly simple by today’s standards, as they only had three main screen sizes to contend with. All they had to do was develop a web page that responded to these three different page sizes:

• 640 x 480
• 800 x 600
• 1024 x 768

But for its time, this was a complex project to implement. Soon, time and cost started to add up, and Audi and Razorfish both began to question the approach. Subsequent launches got rid of this early design, but the spark had been created. In many ways, this 2002 project between Audi and Razorfish became the precurser to modern responsive design.

The picture of responsive design today

Responsive design as we know it is a very sophisticated affair. Web designers no longer need to simply build three different versions of the same website to suit three different screen sizes. Instead, they must contend with thousands of device types, each with their own specifications and screen sizes.

Buttons and text boxes must now jump places – or even disappear completely – to make the web page more intuitive for mobile users. More information must be fit into smaller boxes, without losing any of the meaning. And designers must also consider the nuances in what mobile users want from the websites they visit, compared with their wants while browsing at home.

What’s more, is that responsive design has spread beyond the simple website. The rise of cloud-based software has seen responsive design take a very important role.

Cloud-based technology is taking over – making responsive design even more important

Web applications – i.e. technology you access via your internet browser – operate in much the same way as a website. Only, they offer more interactivity, more functionality, and play a more fundamental role.

But because they are still accessed from your browser, web designers must still pay attention to how you are accessing the service.

In fact, because you are interacting with web applications more than you interact with corporate websites, responsive design actually becomes more important than ever. Especially when it comes to cloud-based HR software that helps you manage a large, complex workforce – from anywhere.

Why you should be demanding responsive design from your HR technology

Cloud-based HR software has been a rapidly growing market for several years. Gartner even predicts that by the end of 2017, it will account for more than 50% of HR technology.

If you’re at all with the times, then chances are you’re already using – or considering – web-based HR tech. So why should you accept that, while you can access your important workforce data anywhere, and engage your employees on the go, you’re still needing to drag, pull, pinch and zoom to find information that should be accessible in seconds?

A good HR system built with responsive design will let you manage your workforce from your mobile, while sitting on a train, as easily as if you were at your office desk, using your laptop and sipping coffee. 

Buying software that ‘works on mobile’ is one thing. Buying software that you can actually use on your mobile is another – and the second option is what you need to demand.

Responsive design is a trend that isn’t going anywhere

If you think this is a fad that will quickly disappear, then let me point you to a few final thoughts, based on hard data:

• Internet traffic coming from mobile devices – 56% 
• People unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble using – 61% (and you were supposed to be engaging your staff with this new HR system)
• UK adults who actively use a mobile phone – 93%

And if you think this doesn’t apply to you because you run a totally office-based business, and have no flexible workers? Then maybe it’s time to unchain your people from their desks. After all, flexible working has been proven to reduce workplace stress.