Who's Responsible for Responsive Design?

I've been giving some thought to responsive design, whether it is a responsible approach, or whether the content creators should take more responsibility for the user experience across platforms.   

Responsive design in the context of creative material

You know how sometimes before they show a movie on television, they'll have a little disclaimer that says, "The following film has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit this screen, to run in the time allotted and edited for content". Well, that's because the aspect ratio (the height to width ratio) of your tv screen is different than a movie screen. It's also because the way you're experiencing your tv is different (you're closer, people might walk in, if it's free tv - commercials might be played and it has to fit into the schedule.)  

Well, online content is like that too. You might be consuming this on your laptop, your phone, your tablet, or, if you're at work or like my brother Joe who has just discovered ATMs and microwave ovens, your PC. These different devices not only have different screen sizes, but you also interact with them differently. On a laptop, you may be using a mouse, but you're probably using a touchpad or one of those funky little red buttons that they have on the Lenovo machines. On a phone, you're probably touching your screen - as a last resort, you'll even be typing things in - you may even be talking to your phone to get what you want. On a tablet, you're more likely to use the keyboard and less likely to use your voice, but you'll definitely be touching the screen. Your PC is more like your tv with a mouse attached to it. 

Fascinating, but so what?​

Well, if you're in the business of creating content, you have to keep in mind how people are going to be consuming it. Or if you're consuming content, you have to keep in mind how the creator intended it. When Orson Welles created Citizen Kane, he never considered that people might be watching it on a television. Some shots just cannot be experienced the same way they were intended unless they're seen in the medium it was designed for. ​

Well, the whole world is comprised of screens now. People consume in the moments and the media that they have. So, when you are creating content, you have to keep this in mind. Even when you're writing. ​

Some of it is relatively straight forward and can be automated. Changing aspect ratios and navigation to be more in line with the device, for instance. This blog uses squarespace which automates responsive stylesheets so that it doesn't look like complete crap when read on a phone - even though I generally don't write it - or place photos - on a phone.

Other things are less straightforward. The amount of information you are likely to want to read through will be dependent on the amount of time that you have, your interest in the subject and the ease at which you can consume it. This leads to the reality, that people will read less on their phones. They will also bookmark things which they discover that they have more interest in for consumption on other devices. ​

So, should writers write two versions of their stories? Well, services like summly are meant to avoid that. They algorithmically condense the articles into the major relevant points for mobile consumption. (The reason that Yahoo! acquired them is to be able to produce more mobile-friendly news.) Services like circa condense as well, but are also meant to take advantage of the different navigation style on a phone versus a laptop. 

But, I think it all goes back to the Orson Welles question: do you - as a creator - want to own the experience of your creation? If you do, then you'll need to create different versions. Or block accessibility. ​Or, like Visual Editions, create them in a way that they cannot be experienced in any media.

But the reality is - we will keep coming up with different ways to get our entertainment and our information. If you care about yours being enjoyed, you should make sure your work is oriented to the way it's being consumed.

Note: if you really are interested in responsive design, check out Luke Wroblewsky's blog.