What does it take to create a responsive app?
The simple answer would be to build everything with all screens and devices in mind. That’s a simple answer, but not a simple solution.
The truth is, devices being used these days are too many and too different to have a special version of the application devoted just to their specifications. Just think about the many screen sizes for a regular laptop or PC – add to that all those tablets, notepads and other in-between devices, top it off with mobile phones that vary according to everything from size to screen shape…
It’s a colourful, diverse world out there. Your application, no matter what it is, needs to be ready for use on any of these devices, and this is where a little something called responsive design comes in.
These days, over 60% of users access the web through the use of mobile devices. If you’re set on creating a web application, this is important information to keep in mind.
Have you ever opened a website that just seemed off on your phone? Text that you need to scroll left and right to read, font that just isn’t large enough, photos that open up in weird ways…
Most times, this isn’t because an application is bad or lacking in any way. It’s simply too difficult to manually create an app that looks right on every device – there are too many, they are too different, and it’s just easier to use an existing theme.
Themes are a wonderful way of dealing with responsive design. Quick, usually easy to use, they remove the burden of thinking about other machines when something works on yours.
However, themes are only as good as their updates. While they provide a solution, they are tied down by the state of things from when they were created. Without updates, a theme soon goes bad and the responsive design stops working.
There are tools that can help you on your journey to responsiveness. Google has a free mobile-friendly testing tool that brings up any issues you might have, but it’s up to you to figure out how to deal with them.
Dealing with them manually might take more time and effort, but the perk is that you get to learn a lot on the way. If you don’t want to dedicate your hours to it, though, a nice up-to-date theme is your best bet.
The fact that themes are often not compatible with the newest systems is the biggest downside. This is one of the reasons we at DevsPush charge for our services. Themes and frameworks bought from us have a guarantee of constant updates, and you get a supportive team helping you deal with any issues or questions you might have on your way.
You could almost say that - we’re responsive.
