Why Zen Works in Website Design

There’s hardly anything as corny as a marketing riddle, but here goes. Responsive web design isn’t a website that gets you referrals nor is it a website that drives new patient traffic but both are outcomes of having a website that features responsive web design. So what is it? Did I get you curious?

Well first of all, let’s do an experiment. Pull your site up on your desktop or your laptop. I’m assuming you have a screen at least 12-15” wide. Can you see your whole page? Do you have to scroll down to see the content on your home page? How about your other pages? Can you see the tabs for your site’s main pages at both the top and the bottom of the site? Is the font crisp and clear? Is there reverse type? Do you have flashing elements loading?

Now, grab your phone. Whether it’s an android or an iPhone, you’ll note that the screen fits in the size of your palm. Now, pull up your website. What do you see? Are you looking at a 2X4 version of your whole home page in an unreadable font size? Or, are you looking at a miniscule piece of the left hand corner of your home page? Do you have to scroll down and across just to see the name of your business? Is the sunshine or the light above you making the screen so dark you can’t read the letters anyhow? Do you see funny shapes where the flash was unable to load?

Ok, ok…just to prove my point. If you’ve got one, pull out your Ipad. Try the exercise again. What elements do you see in a warped presentation on that screen?

Websites that were designed as recently as three to five years ago were not designed as responsive. Yes, what I’m getting at is that they were designed for desktops and laptops. Where a mobile site was launched as a .mobi it was a separate site from the original site, and even so, it wasn’t a particularly intuitive design model.

With the popularity of multiple mobile devices of different shapes, sizes and resolutions comes the advent of responsive web design; really out of necessity rather than form.

It originated because designers had to physically re-write their sites to adapt to each new platform.

Specific phones and tablets needed uniquely formatted websites, and companies struggled to keep multiple sites for their products working right.  As a result, web design became time-consuming, costly, and just darned tedious.

Zen works across platforms! Responsive web design contains a set of techniques that adapt website features for each platform automatically, making the site functional, practical and user-friendly regardless of what device the user chooses to use to access it.

Responsive web is zen. Zen is simple. Zen works.

• Gives you increased flexibility

Websites will be able to fit any screen size on any device, ensuring that brands can reach consumers effectively. That means people will be able to look you up anywhere. Even when they are waiting in their doctor’s office shopping for a new doctor that won’t keep them waiting so long.

• A better user/prospective patient experience; Reaching more people in more places.

The designs are highly adaptive and will optimize website content for each device in its own way. The site will look great, be intuitive, and be help your prospect find what they are looking for easily. A happy prospective patient is a happy long-term patient.

• Reducing your bounce rates

In the past, bounce rates were high for mobile devices, largely due to functionality issues from websites that hadn’t been optimized for that particular device. They’ll find your site, no problem. No bouncing. Your site will come up under your domain name on any device. ANY DEVICE!

For more information on cross-platform compatibility, AKA, a simple, zen design that is beautiful on any screen your patients and prospective patients use, contact a strategic website design company that knows a site can be beautiful and effective in today’s multi-screen world.

This article was written for exclusively for Medmonthly Magazine (December 2013) by Lori Gertz, Chief Freakin' Genius at Freakin' Genius Marketing. The article can be viewed here.