Microsoft’s new corporate site based on Responsive Web Design

Back in the days of blinking cursors and green computer screens, Microsoft was the trendy, upstart from the West Coast. Today though the label of “trendy” is ascribed to Facebook, Apple and a host of new Web 2.0 trailblazers.

Don’t count Microsoft out just yet. The preview of their new corporate website  displays Microsoft’s embrace of Responsive Web Design. And while this may seem like no big deal, when the site goes live Microsoft will offer their site visitors what none of the other “trendy” folks do – a site built to take advantage of today’s smart phones and tablets.

With more than 20% of all web traffic coming from either a smart phone or tablet (a statistic that is sure to continue to rise), it is critical to offer your site’s visitor a site designed for their device. Today most mobile web surfers have 1 of 3 options when viewing most web content: (1) pinch, zoom and read the site’s content in sections (2) view a stripped down text only “mobile” version of the site (3) head over to the app store to download the site’s app to read the content. And all 3 of these options place a barrier between the website and their visitors. Which in turn means a less engaged visitor, fewer ads viewed and clicked and ultimately a decrease in overall web traffic.

But with a properly designed Responsive site, all of those barriers go away because the site renders the content correctly to take full advantage of the browsing device. Including if the device is in portrait or landscape mode. No need for a “mobile version” or a mobile app, The site’s visitors enjoy all the site’s content formatted properly for their device, smart phone to 32″ desktop. And with Microsoft’s embrace of Responsive Web design corporate America won’t be far behind. And that could be a game changer for web designers and app developers.