Mobile responsive design refers to the way a website’s layout and content rearranges to fit the screen of whichever device a user chooses. It’s like like water—the site changes its shape to fit whatever vessel it’s in.
When users log in from a tablet or smartphone, the site changes to fit the screen. All the pieces of the site—columns, pictures, feeds—rearrange automatically so the learner can scroll through the site without having to pinch and zoom to figure out what’s what.
One advantage to a mobile responsive site is that it’s easier to manage.
Since there’s only one site, there’s no duplication of efforts. If you want to redesign or re-brand the site, you do it once and the site is re-crafted for both desktop and mobile users. When there’s new learning material to push out, all you need to do is create it once and it’s available right away. Plus, it’s faster to implement because there’s only one site to build.
Beyond that, a mobile responsive site is more SEO friendly. Having two versions of a site can affect page ranking because duplicate content tends to confuse search engines.
But why’s mobile responsive design important for a learning management system (LMS)?
A modern LMS needs to work on mobile devices.
People use their phones and tablets for everything. Your learners expect to access content wherever and whenever they need it.
The bar is higher than just viewing content, however. Users and administrators need to be able to do the same things on their phone that they can on a laptop or desktop.
When you talk with an LMS provider, be sure to ask these questions:
- Does the LMS retain full functionality on mobile?
- Can learners access the different functions without manually resizing the page or panning around?
- Does the product roadmap include expanded mobile functions?
And, just for fun, check out this page on both your desktop and your tablet or phone. You’ll see how our site is optimized for mobile responsive design.
Other FAQs
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Do I Need a CMS or an LMS?
Difference Between eLearning and an LMS
Who uses the Wisetail LMS?
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LMS Reporting and Analytics
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Q: What is Social Learning?
You might have assumed this, but research shows that formal learning only accounts for 10% of a person’s knowledge. The other 90% comes from social learning—which is real-world experience and learning from others.
