We are pleased to announce the launch our brand new website! The new PennandSeaborn.com leverages responsive design and several new content features for its existing and potential clients.
2013 has been a very unusual year in the PC market. For the first time since 2001, PC sales are projected to be lower than they were in the previous year.
So which devices are our visitors buying? Tablets, for one thing. Tablet sales are expected to exceed 100 million this year.
Tablet sales are expected to exceed 100 million this year. Their sales numbers may top notebooks next year. Smartphones, of course, are also a hot commodity — according to Nielsen, the majority of U.S. mobile subscribers now own smartphones.
Meanwhile, the shift to mobile is happening at an extraordinary speed. Today, 30% of Penn and Seaborn’s traffic is mobile. By the end of next year, this may exceed 50%.
When it comes to sites like ours, our research suggests that the mobile web is key. According to the Pew Research Center, 60% of tablet users prefer reading news on the mobile web than via an app. It’s clear that having a great mobile website should be the priority
The solution, of course, is to make a website that works equally well on every device. Enter responsive web design.
In simple terms, a responsive web design uses “media queries” to figure out what resolution of device it’s being served on. Flexible images and fluid grids then size correctly to fit the screen. If you’re viewing this article on a desktop browser, for example, try making your browser window smaller. The images and content column will shrink, then the sidebar will disappear altogether. On our homepage, you’ll see the layout shrink from three columns, to two columns, to a singular column of content.
In the case of PennandSeaborn.com, we also detect the type of device and change the site’s behavior accordingly. On touch devices, for instance, we enable swiping between columns. (Technically, detecting device functionalities may be referred to as “adaptive design,” rather than “responsive,” but increasingly both approaches are used in tandem).
The benefit is obvious: Our website works seamlessly across thousands of different screens.
Some of the new content features we are introducing include:
- Fewer, but larger images for cleaner appearance and easier navigation
- Almost twice as many stories above the fold
- Intuitive social sharing features that enable users to easily spread content across social channels
- Faster load and response times
- Larger enhanced video player
- Responsive web design
Let us know what you think on our Facebook page.