Responsive Design

Responsive Design

Workflow

1. Implement mobile-first. Write base styles for 320–375px. Add @media (min-width: ...) only to enhance.
2. Set breakpoint tokens. Use the standard scale below or content-driven values when layouts break.
3. Apply fluid sizing. Use clamp() for type/spacing and auto-fit minmax() for grids before reaching for breakpoints.
4. Add container queries for components reused in multiple layout contexts.
5. Serve responsive images with srcset/sizes or <picture>.
6. Verify touch targets ≥ 44×44 CSS px with ≥ 8px gaps.
7. Run validation checklist (bottom). If any check fails, fix and re-test.

Breakpoint Tokens

:root {
  --bp-sm: 640px;   /* large phones landscape */
  --bp-md: 768px;   /* tablets portrait */
  --bp-lg: 1024px;  /* tablets landscape, small laptops */
  --bp-xl: 1280px;  /* laptops, desktops */
  --bp-2xl: 1536px; /* large desktops */
}

/* Mobile-first pattern */
.card { padding: 1rem; }
@media (min-width: 768px) { .card { padding: 1.5rem; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; } }
@media (min-width: 1280px) { .card { padding: 2rem; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr; } }

Fluid Sizing with clamp()

:root {
  --fs-base: clamp(1rem, 0.5rem + 1vw, 1.125rem);
  --fs-h1:   clamp(2rem, 1rem + 3vw, 3.5rem);
  --fs-h2:   clamp(1.5rem, 0.75rem + 2vw, 2.5rem);
}

.section { padding: clamp(1rem, 3vw, 3rem); }

Auto-Reflowing Grid

.grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(280px, 1fr));
  gap: 1.5rem;
}

Container Queries

.card-container { container-type: inline-size; }

@container (min-width: 400px) { .card { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr; } }
@container (min-width: 600px) { .card { grid-template-columns: 250px 1fr 150px; } }

Responsive Images

<img
  src="hero-800.jpg"
  srcset="hero-400.jpg 400w, hero-800.jpg 800w, hero-1200.jpg 1200w"
  sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 50vw, 33vw"
  alt="..."
/>

<picture>
  <source media="(min-width: 1024px)" srcset="hero-wide.avif" type="image/avif" />
  <source media="(min-width: 1024px)" srcset="hero-wide.webp" type="image/webp" />
  <source srcset="hero-narrow.avif" type="image/avif" />
  <img src="hero-narrow.jpg" alt="..." />
</picture>

Prefer AVIF, then WebP, then JPEG.

Touch Targets

• Minimum 44×44 CSS px (WCAG 2.5.8).
• ≥ 8px gap between adjacent targets.
• Icon-only buttons: expand tap area with padding.
• Inline links: increase line-height for vertical hit area.

Validation Workflow

Execute in order. If a step fails, fix before proceeding.

1. Breakpoint sweep. Resize browser through 320, 375, 414, 640, 768, 1024, 1280, 1536, 1920 px. Pass: no horizontal scroll, no overflow, no overlapping content.

2. Touch target audit.

# Lighthouse mobile audit
npx lighthouse https://localhost:3000 --preset=mobile --only-categories=accessibility

Pass: "Tap targets are sized appropriately" score = 100.

3. Image loading verification. Open DevTools Network panel, filter to Img. At 375px viewport, the 400w variant loads (not 1200w). At 1280px viewport, the 1200w variant loads.

4. Container query check. Place the same component in a wide container and a narrow container on one page. Confirm both render appropriately.

5. Real-device test matrix. Pass on each of: iPhone SE (375), iPhone 14 (390), iPad (768), iPad landscape (1024), 13-inch laptop (1366), desktop (1920).

6. Network throttling. Chrome DevTools → Slow 3G. Verify skeleton states or loading indicators appear; no layout shift on image load (CLS < 0.1).

7. Body text minimum. Inspect computed font-size on body text at smallest breakpoint. Pass: ≥ 16px.

Deep Dive References

• Breakpoint Strategy — Common values, content-first, naming, CSS custom properties, container query integration
• Fluid Layouts — clamp(), fluid type, aspect-ratio, viewport units, min/max
• Container Queries — container-type, nesting, units, browser support

Next Steps

• Grid Layout Systems: Grid/Flexbox patterns for responsive structures
• CSS Architecture: Organize responsive styles
• Wireframing: Design responsive wireframes
• Design Tokens: Store breakpoints and fluid values as tokens