Is a responsive theme now the new standard?

[Thomasss]

With all these new responsive designs, almost eliminating the need of mobile sites, are responsive designs becoming the new standard of web design?

 

[JewishPoptart89]

Yes.

 

[Namoh]

I read somewhere that 70% of users that browse the internet use some sort of handheld device. I'm not sure if the number is correct but many more people than before use handheld decives so responsiveness is of most importance.

 

[Teg1]

Yes, responsive themes are definitely becoming the new standard. Almost everyone uses some kind of mobile device and therefore it is important that a website, forum, etc., be as responsive as possible so that it works on all devices.

 

[Golddisk]

Yeah, as everyone else has stated responsive themes/designs are the new standard. There's a large percentage of people who are browsing with either their cell phone or a tablet, and if you want to draw (and keep) those people to your site, you need a design that allows them to navigate the site easier.

As for creating both a mobile version and desktop version, management overall is easier if you just have one responsive design so that I why I think people are moving away from that and using just responsive designs.

 

[Ash]

They are I guess but for me most of them just have more problems than a normal mobile theme would

 

[Cryptography]

I would say so, especially since Google started penalizing sites if they didn't have a mobile theme. It just all-round helps to have a responsive theme.

 

[Belthazar]

If it hasn't already, it should be. Responsiveness is a must-have if you're actually looking to gain much mobile traffic at all. I use my phone a lot, and I know how much of a pain it is to have an unresponsive theme.

 

[Britanica]

Because so many people use their phones and tablets to view online sites, it is very important to have a them or set up that is responsive. If you are looking at themes, never bother with one that isn't.

 

[esterlong]

Yes. Absolutely. But it boggles my mind how many websites still aren't. For example, I know of many small businesses around me who still have a website that wasn't made for mobile. It's like seriously? How do you expect to compete?

 

[Britanica]

Yes. Absolutely. But it boggles my mind how many websites still aren't. For example, I know of many small businesses around me who still have a website that wasn't made for mobile. It's like seriously? How do you expect to compete?

I get so mad when I am in bed browsing on my phone and come across a well known site and it doesn't respond but it is just this giant mess I need to pinch around on my screen to read lol

 

[Clarendon]

I strongly believe that a responsive design is paramount to any website these days. Most of the time, I tend to visit websites on my phone or tablet so to me responsiveness is important.

 

[Noble Genius]

With all these new responsive designs, almost eliminating the need of mobile sites, are responsive designs becoming the new standard of web design?

In my opinion, responsive web design has been a standard since the beginning of this decade.

Forums, however, appear to be quite slow in adapting to these "new" standards. Even those that tried, such as Discourse, arguably weren't successful at implementing it.

But think of it this way. Would you want to build a separate website for each device or would you prefer to do one flexible website? Efficiency is on the side of responsive design.

 

[Clarendon]

I agree it is far simpler having a website that responds to screen resolution than having to make different versions of a website depending on the platform.

 

[Claraviolet]

I believe that people are moving towards responsive designs rather than using other options like tapatalk or some mobile app. If you go for a mobile theme separately, then you will have to place those files in the server which adds to the load but not much. Almost negligible but still....
Personally, I like responsive themes.
So, I would suggest a responsive theme rather than any other option.

 

[Allan]

I find it hard to find a non-responsive theme anymore,

 

[ChrisG2010]

It is absolutely the standard now days. There is now more people using smart phones on the internet than standard computers. There was a study recently done that ran some research on exactly how many cell phones versus computers access the web and the smart phones won. So, with that being said, it is a standard for your website to adjust to the screen size for the best viewing capability for your guests.

 

[GamesToEnjoy]

Of course! Do you want to give up on the mobile traffic?

In my site 50% of the traffic is from mobile devices and tablets.

 

[jyy]

I don't think a responsive theme is needed, aside from being mobile ready. I mean, as long as the site isn't trashy, people will come in. However, though, it is probably true that in many instances a fancy site will make more money/get more views.

 

[edenwax]

I don't think a responsive theme is needed, aside from being mobile ready. I mean, as long as the site isn't trashy, people will come in. However, though, it is probably true that in many instances a fancy site will make more money/get more views.

However responsive ≠ fancy.

You can have a super simple site that's responsive. I'd even argue that its easier to design and develop a site from the ground up thats responsive. Saves you (and your users) from having inconsistent experiences across various devices. Also saves you from having to make a mobile version or tweaks added in later.