Responsive Design in 2024: What Your Website Must Handle

In 2024, responsive design is already an absolute standard. Yet we see dozens of websites that struggle on mobile. Let's discuss what a modern website should handle in 2024.

1. Mobile-first Approach Design from the smallest screen. Why? Because adding features for desktop is easier than removing them for mobile.

2. Touch-friendly Elements Minimum button and link size: 44x44 pixels. Why? Average finger size is about 40-45 pixels. Smaller elements are hard to tap.

3. Loading Speed

• Optimize images (WebP format)
• Lazy loading for below-fold images
• Minimize JavaScript
• Use CDN

Target speed: < 3 seconds on 3G network.

4. Responsive Images Use srcset and sizes attributes:

<img
  srcset="small.jpg 400w, medium.jpg 800w, large.jpg 1200w"
  sizes="(max-width: 600px) 400px, (max-width: 1000px) 800px, 1200px"
  src="medium.jpg"
  alt="Description"
>

5. Responsive Typography Use fluid typography:

font-size: clamp(1rem, 2vw + 0.5rem, 2rem);

Text adapts to screen size smoothly.

6. Hamburger Menu? Yes, But... Hamburger menu is OK, but:

• Main CTA must always be visible
• Max 5-7 menu items
• Quick opening (< 300ms)

7. Mobile Forms

• Correct type attributes (email, tel, number)
• autocomplete for autofill
• Large input fields (minimum 16px font)
• Visible labels (not just placeholders)

8. Testing on Real Devices Emulators aren't enough. Test on:

• iOS Safari (iPhone)
• Android Chrome
• Tablets

9. Breakpoints in 2024:

• Mobile: 320px - 480px
• Phablet: 481px - 768px
• Tablet: 769px - 1024px
• Desktop: 1025px+

10. Dark Mode Support Respect prefers-color-scheme, but let users switch manually.

Our Tip: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and WebPageTest for regular performance checks.

Conclusion: Responsive design isn't just about CSS media queries. It's a comprehensive approach to UX, performance, and accessibility. In 2024, it's no longer an advantage - it's a necessity.