How to Arm Your Site for Every Screen and Every Platform: An Introduction to Responsive Website Design

What is responsive design?

Responsive design is the concept of building a website so that the layout of the site adapts and changes according to the resolution of the user’s browser. In plain English, employing responsive design allows you to build a single site that will look just as good on a monitor that’s 2048 pixels by 1080 pixels as it will on an iPhone that’s 320 pixels by 480 pixels and all browser sizes in between without the need to build a separate dedicated mobile or iPhone-specific version of your website. The best way to get a feel for responsive design is to see it in action, and one of the best examples is the Lancaster University website. If you simply open the site in your desktop browser, you won’t immediately notice anything extraordinary. However, if you slowly adjust the size of your browser window, you’ll begin to see how the design adapts to the width of the window on the fly. The change is more than just a straightforward scaling effect; rather, certain key elements within the design shift and transform according to the resolution of the browser. For example, this is what the website looks at 1024 pixels wide. And this is what the website looks like at 640 pixels wide. As you compare the two, you’ll notice that in the smaller version, the two stats next to logo disappear, allowing the quick links, search bar and logo to fit into the width of the browser and remain usable. Also, the “Find a Course” box and the two information boxes are now displayed alongside “Latest News,” which preserves the usability of the tab-based navigation in the main feature. This is what the website looks like at 480 pixels wide. You’ll now notice that the primary navigation transforms from one row of six links to two rows of three links, which ensures that these links remain large enough to be easily pressed with a finger on a touchscreen phone. The quick links are reshaped into a drop-down-style menu that takes up less real estate on the screen but still allows the user to easily access these important links. The search box moves to the bottom of page, and the “Find a Course” box disappears and is replaced with a link to the course search page. On the main feature, the slider changes from tab-based to next/previous-style navigation.

Why is responsive design important?

As you can see from the Lancaster University example, adapting the layout of the site based on the browser’s resolution ensures that all content is easily accessible no matter where or how a user might be browsing. With the explosive growth in tablets and smartphones, IDC predicts that within the next four years, more people in the U.S. will access the Internet via mobile devices than via desktops or laptops. As a result, it’s important to take steps now to make sure that your website is not only accessible but easy to navigate and use on any device and any screen size in order to keep pace with the ever-changing browsing preferences of your clients and customers.

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Management 2.0: How to Use Social Media to Boost Productivity

Social media: it’s not just for marketing anymore

Usually, when companies talk social media, the discussion revolves around how these networks can be used to strengthen connections and facilitate communication between their brand and their customers. However, what most companies almost never consider is how social media platforms can also be used internally to strengthen connections and facilitate communication between management and employees. In fact, more often than not, the use of social media in the workplace is a hot-button topic for managers who fear the specter of distraction and idleness. So is it really possible that social media – with its reputation as the ultimate time-waster – can actually promote productivity? Let’s take a look:

Facebook

As a manager, when you think of employees using Facebook at work, you probably imagine cubicles filled with people frittering away valuable company time posting status updates, commenting on friends’ photos and playing games like Farmville. But have you considered how you could use your employees’ affinity for Facebook to your advantage to foster better internal communication? By using the “Secret Group” setting, you can create a group that is visible only to its members. This option – along with the new Group Chat feature that allows multiple people to participate in a topic thread – make Facebook a great tool for far-flung teams to use for collaboration and brainstorming.

Twitter

In the world of social media, Twitter has perhaps the worst reputation as a forum for the inane. However, it’s also an invaluable weapon in the competitive arena. Never before has it been easier to keep tabs on your competitors, your customers and the trends that are shaping your industry and business today. Following the right companies, people and media outlets creates an infinite stream of information to cull for ideas and inspiration. Encourage your employees to keep their radar up and to share interesting finds with one another, and you may just find that the seeds of your Next Big Thing spring from Twitter. In addition, consider setting up a private Twitter account for your company, selecting the “protect my tweets” option to limit the visibility of your tweets only to those you allow to follow the account (i.e., your employees). Suddenly Twitter becomes a very useful tool for broadcasting company-wide updates and announcements – particularly if you’re managing a virtual workforce whose members are scattered across a number of different physical locations.

Google+

While brand pages for Google+ have yet to be unleashed, the ability to use the platform as an internal communication tool is already here. Specifically, the Hangout feature offers a free and easy-to-use group video chat platform. From remote presentations to meetings between colleagues who are traveling to impromptu discussions – there are a myriad of potential uses for Hangouts. And since Google+ is built into the Google suite of products, it won’t be a hard sell to your employees, since chances are good that they’re already using a number of other tools like Gmail, Docs and Reader.

New tools for a new workforce

As clichéd as the saying may be, when it comes to social media and productivity, it’s time to start thinking outside the box. These are tools to be embraced, not feared. Social media networks are where people live online today. Your employees use social media; they like and are familiar with its platforms and their conventions. So if you’re looking for new tools to promote productivity, improve communication and foster innovation among the members of your team, why not start with the ones that are already an integral part of their lives? Still not sold? Just remember this: at one point email was considered a waste of company time and money…and we all know how that turned out.

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