Choosing the best medium for each message

The value of text and images

• Appreciate the value of them! In relation to responsive content this means being aware of what happens to both on different devices – will you still have images? What is lost if an image disappears on a mobile device?

Use video to make content more compelling

• Good quality video is always compelling – but thinking specifically about responsive content: can you use video to convey some of the supplementary information that might otherwise be lost in a screen full of text?

Explaining complex concepts with infographics and animations 

• Think mobile first! While an infographic may look great on a desktop, a static pie chart with small text may work well on a smartphone.
• With animation be aware that an effect which looked great on a desktop can become muddled and confusing when viewed on a mobile device. 

Using interactive forms

• When using a mobile device the size of the available screen greatly decrease when entering details into a form because of the space required for the keyboard input.
• Forms should be optimised for responsive websites, to give the best possible user experience on small screen they should also have a few fields as possible.

PDFs – consider if they are right for your site, even if you are just linking to them.

• PDFs are formatted for printing.
• Usability is 300 per cent less than normal web pages (even less on a mobile).
• Contain text that is not written for the web (let alone for use on a mobile device).
• If a site contains lots of PDFs – why does it need to be responsive?