52 September 2015
|
beautystorebusiness.com
that take four times longer to read on a
desktop than they normally should because
the text and line spacing are oversized.
Meanwhile, you'll find similar, over-
blown text and graphics at another
website showcased by Media Queries
as the ideal of responsive Web design:
the site for The Next Web (thenextweb.
com). Ironically enough The Next Web is
a magazine, conference and education
company whose mission is to stay on the
"bleeding edge" of where the Web is headed.
Here using a desktop PC you'll find
yourself scrolling through scores of
encephalitic headlines and images on a
home page that takes much longer to
read through than necessary. And you'll
find a jobs board that would be much
easier to work with on a desktop if it
were 33% or even 25% its size.
Other designs heralded by Media
Queries that leave many desktop users
scratching their heads: Build (buildwindows.
com), a site for a Microsoft-sponsored
trade show; Paid to Exist (paidtoexist.
com), a personal-growth site; and Modo
Design Group (mododesigngroup.com), a
Web design firm.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
When challenged by desktop and lap-
top users regarding usability, champions
of responsive Web design often insist
that with the frenzied proliferation of
smartphones and tablets, mobile is the
de facto standard and that the days of
desktops and laptops are numbered.
Any rational designer, they insist, must
proceed with a "mobile first" strategy.
Perhaps. But another "mobile-above-all"
champion also bet big on that philosophy
and released Windows 8—an operating
system that initially heavily favored mobile
users and essentially orphaned desktop
and laptop users. The result? Windows 8
was roundly rejected by Windows users
(its market penetration is still under
14% nearly three years after its release,
according to NetMarketShare (netmarket-
share.com/operating-system-market-
share.aspx?qprid =10&qp; cus tomd = 0)
and the CEO who championed "mobile-
above-all," Steve Ballmer—no longer has
a job there. Put another way: Sure, there
are plenty of people on smartphones
tagging the Internet for a minute or so
while waiting in line at Starbucks. But
any serious and substantial use of the
Web will continue to be overwhelmingly
done on desktops and laptops.
The bottom line is this: The next time
a Web designer shows up at your store
promising to build you a "state-of-the-art,
responsive website that will deliver a
consistent and optimized user experience
across the wide variety of devices and
platforms that Web surfers use," make
sure you read the fine print. Adds Kim
Snyder, CEO of Elk Grove, California-based
online retailer Overall Beauty, "If your
responsive website looks bloated on the
desktop, then you need to fire your website
designer. There is no need for it. With so
many templates out there, you can turn a
simple WordPress blog into a full-blown
ecommerce website and there are a lot of
themes out there that are responsive."
■
Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and
business consultant based in Manhattan
(New York City). He can be reached at
joe@joedysart.com.
The design of Build, a site for a Microsoft-sponsored trade show, is heralded by Media Queries
but leaves many desktop users scratching their heads.
Image
courtesy
of
Joe
Dysart
©2015 Zerran International Corp.
See your chemical services in
a whole new light with
Zerran APS
®
The simple way to supercharge all your chemical
services for stronger hair, faster, more even lift and
deposit, and longer-lasting results. 100% vegan, no
mystery ingredients.
Thanks for a fantastic Cosmoprof show!
If you missed us, call 800-626-1921 or
contact us at info@zerranhaircare.com.