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Received October 12, 2017; Accepted December 25, 2017
Abstract
Responsive design allows software developers to build a Web page that can dynamically adapt to the size of the devices. This development philosophy enables the rendering of Web pages in a fast and optimized way, ensuring a good user experience on mobile devices, tablet and desktop. In the scope of this study, we intend to explore the main advantages and limitations associated with responsive Web design. We adopted a quantitative approach based on a questionnaire filled by 181 professionals in the industry that allowed us to identify the reasons that lead software developers to the adoption of the responsive design and also address the limitations felt by them. The results obtained indicate that offering a good user experience and increasing accessibility stands out as being the most important advantages. On the other hand, the main limitations include the compatibility with older Web browsers, the higher loading time and the difficulties in optimizing user experience. Finally, it was found that the perception of the advantages and limitations of responsive design is distinct for professionals with more professional experience in the field and for freelancer developers.
Keywords
Web development; Responsive design; Web designing; User experience
Introduction
The advent of the Web turned possible the appearance of new form of transmission ideas and contents in online environments. The Web design process uses techniques to adequate structuring of information, using appropriate resources to serve on web pages, in a manner that the user can reach his goal in a direct and pleasant way.
Web design distinguishes itself from other traditional forms of design. The Web is a unique channel that forces designers not to be able to control the environment around them. Elements such as colors, shapes, and layouts can be customized by the user (or by the users' web browser), and there are no guarantees that all users will see the same Web page in the same way that it was designed and developed. In this sense, Web designer need to concept Web applications, without knowing in advance the Web browsers that will be used, the technological platform on which application will be run, such as operating systems, personal preferences of users, resolution of the access devices, and...