What is responsive design?

Responsive design is an approach to web design that ensures websites look and function well on a wide range of devices and screen sizes, from desktop monitors to smartphones and tablets. Instead of creating separate versions of a site for different devices, responsive design uses flexible layouts, images, and CSS media queries to automatically adapt the website’s appearance based on the user’s screen size and orientation. The main goal of responsive design is to provide an optimal viewing experience—easy reading and navigation with minimal resizing, panning, or scrolling—regardless of the device being used. This approach improves usability and accessibility, making websites mobile-friendly without needing multiple site versions or complicated redirects. In practice, responsive design involves using fluid grids that proportionally resize page elements, flexible images that scale within their containers, and CSS media queries that apply different style rules depending on factors like screen width. By adopting responsive design, developers create websites that are future-proof and offer a consistent, user-friendly experience across all devices.