Work

The problem

When the web began to conquer the world in the 1990s, graphic designers started migrating from paper to pixels. The browser window — like the paper page before it — was treated as a known constraint upon which designers imposed their will.

But there’s a big problem with this approach. Whereas a piece of paper has fixed dimensions, a browser window could be any size. There’s no way for a web designer to know in advance what size any particular person’s browser window will be.

The solution

In April 2010 web designer Ethan Marcotte proposed a solution he borrowed from the world of architecture: Responsive design. He suggested that maybe websites could change and adapt according to the needs of the user’s internet device.

This approach has been adopted by most web designers, and it’s been standard practice for many years. We’ve expanded on this concept to include an incremental approach to programming called progressive enhancement. It typically has three steps:

• Identify required core functionality.
• Make that functionality available using the simplest possible technology.
• Layer on additional features and functionality that can be used by more advanced devices.

The benefit of using progressive enhancement is a more powerful website that can better react to unexpected circumstances — Like weird browsers, clumsy thumbs, flaky network connections, and obsolete internet devices.