Question 1

What is responsive design?

Accepted Answer

Design that adapts to different screen sizes using flexible grids, images, and CSS media queries. One codebase serves all devices. Content reflows and resizes rather than requiring separate mobile and desktop versions.

Question 2

What is mobile-first design?

Accepted Answer

Designing for mobile screens first, then enhancing for larger screens. Forces focus on essential content. Easier to add for desktop than remove for mobile. Aligns with how most users browse.

Question 3

What breakpoints should I use?

Accepted Answer

Common breakpoints: 640px (small), 768px (medium), 1024px (large), 1280px (xlarge). But design based on content needs, not specific devices. Breakpoints should be where your design breaks, not arbitrary numbers.

Question 4

How do I test responsive design?

Accepted Answer

Browser DevTools device mode simulates sizes. Test on real devices for accurate touch and performance. BrowserStack tests across many devices. Resize your browser window during development.

Question 5

What elements need special attention for mobile?

Accepted Answer

Navigation (hamburger menus, bottom nav), touch targets (minimum 44px), forms (appropriate keyboards), images (not too large), and horizontal scrolling (almost always bad). Test actual interactions.

Question 6

How do I handle navigation on mobile?

Accepted Answer

Hamburger menus, bottom navigation bars, or collapsible sections. Primary actions should always be accessible. Test with one hand—thumb zones matter. Don't hide important features.

Question 7

What is a fluid grid?

Accepted Answer

Layouts using percentages instead of fixed pixels. Elements resize proportionally. Combined with max-width constraints to prevent too-wide content. Flexbox and CSS Grid make this easier.

Question 8

How do I handle images responsively?

Accepted Answer

Use srcset to serve appropriate sizes. CSS object-fit controls cropping. Compress images for mobile. Consider art direction—different crops for different sizes. Don't make mobile users download desktop images.

Question 9

What is adaptive vs responsive design?

Accepted Answer

Responsive uses one design that fluidly adapts. Adaptive serves different fixed layouts for specific breakpoints. Responsive is more common. Adaptive can optimize more for each size but requires more work.

Question 10

How do I handle tables on mobile?

Accepted Answer

Tables are notoriously hard on mobile. Options: horizontal scroll (simple but inelegant), card layout (restructure data), or prioritize columns (hide less important ones). Best approach depends on data type.

Question 11

What CSS tools help with responsive design?

Accepted Answer

Flexbox for one-dimensional layouts. CSS Grid for two-dimensional. Media queries for breakpoint-specific styles. Container queries (newer) for component-level responsiveness. Modern CSS makes responsive design much easier.

Question 12

How do I handle touch vs click?

Accepted Answer

Touch targets should be at least 44px. No hover-dependent functionality on mobile. Swipe gestures need alternatives. Consider :hover vs :active states. Touch and click aren't the same.

Question 13

What about responsive typography?

Accepted Answer

Use relative units (rem, em). Consider larger sizes on small screens for readability. CSS clamp() creates fluid typography. Line length (measure) should be comfortable—45-75 characters is readable.

Question 14

How do I design forms for mobile?

Accepted Answer

Use appropriate input types (email, tel, number) for correct keyboards. Stack fields vertically. Large tap targets. Show validation inline. Minimize required fields. Test form completion on real phones.

Question 15

What is a viewport meta tag?

Accepted Answer

HTML tag that tells browsers how to scale pages on mobile. Standard: <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">. Without it, mobile browsers assume desktop-sized pages.

Question 16

How do I prioritize content for mobile?

Accepted Answer

Essential content first—mobile users are often on slower connections and smaller attention spans. Progressive disclosure (revealing more on demand). Consider what mobile users actually need vs. desktop users.

Question 17

What about foldables and unusual screens?

Accepted Answer

Design with flexibility, not specific devices. Content should reflow gracefully. Container queries help components adapt. Test at various arbitrary sizes, not just common breakpoints.

Question 18

How do I convince stakeholders to prioritize mobile?

Accepted Answer

Show your analytics—most sites have significant mobile traffic. Mobile-first indexing affects SEO. Poor mobile experience loses users. Frame it as reaching users where they are, not as extra work.

I need my product to work on all devices

About This Problem

You might have this problem if:

Success Looks Like

Relevant For

Recommended Tools

Figma

Framer

Webflow

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Problems

I need to create a design system for my product

I need to prototype and wireframe ideas quickly

Help us improve this page

Stay in the loop