Adaptive vs. Responsive Design » Interaction Design Foundation

So, the difference between responsive and adaptive design for web pages (and WebDirect and FileMaker PHP pages) is significant:

The differences between responsive and adaptive design approaches spotlight important options for us as web and app designers. Choosing with insight can empower you to plan and execute your designs with better aim, purpose and results.

With the pervasiveness and diversity of mobile devices, as designers we need to cater to the variety of screen sizes. This is a challenge that every web and app designer currently faces. From the giant corporate monitor to the smartwatch, there are a huge number of ways that users can access information online today. Designers looking to bridge the gap between devices have two options for their designs: the adaptive site or the responsive site.

The term Responsive Design was first coined by the web designer and developer Ethan Marcotte in his book, Responsive Web Design. Responsive designs respond to changes in browser width by adjusting the placement of design elements to fit in the available space.

Adaptive Web Design was introduced in 2011 by web designer Aaron Gustafson in his book,Adaptive Web Design: Crafting Rich Experiences With Progressive Enhancement. It is also known as progressive enhancement of a website.

Sadly, for WebDirect, it seems we need to use Adaptive design techniques.  Build a different layout for each size device your users will be using. No options here.

On the Responsive side of things, it’s should be possible (and fairly easy) to build a responsive web site (see WordPress.org) for displaying data from FileMaker PHP.  I have not yet tried it, but with a bit of care and some CSS, it should be do-able.  Has anyone out there tried it?  Let us know in the comments.

Source: Adaptive vs. Responsive Design » Interaction Design Foundation

Featured image credit:  Author/Copyright holder: Alakmak. Copyright terms and licence: All rights reserved. Img source

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