I am glad we went over responsive web design in class last week before having read this article. This article would have been extremely confusing otherwise! The basic principle behind responsive web design is to create sites that are accessible on any device. Designers need to adapt to the increasing number of technologies and user trends. It would be too time consuming and costly to create different sites for each type of device. Therefore, designers should code sites that automatically adapt to each device.
I think the most important point about responsive design is fluid v. fixed layouts. I ran into this concept when I created my portfolio. I used percentages (fluid) to create the architecture of my site. However, it made floating difficult. And my site expanded as I expanded my browser, and contracted awkwardly as I made it smaller. I didn’t like it. I understand that using a fluid layout is easier to view on mobile devices because it adapts to the device’s face. But I genuinely like how the fixed layout looks better.