What is the most appropriate unit of measurement for creating a responsive design?

I am a beginner in the world of responsive design and I'm currently figuring out how to properly layout plugins on a website when viewed on smartphones. Here's an example:

@media (min-width: 568px) {
.musicPlayer{
    width:600px;
    height:320px;
}
.Box, .List{
    float:left;        
}
.Box, .List{
    width:50%;
    height:100%;
}
}
@media only screen 
and (min-device-width : 320px) 
and (max-device-width : 568px) {
    .musicPlayer{
        width:600px;
        height:1200px;
    }
    .Box, .List{
        float:none;        
    }
    .Box, .List{
        width:100%;
       height:50%;
    }
}

Upon testing, I noticed that setting the .musicPlayer width to 600px made it almost half the page width on an iPhone. However, considering the iPhone has a total width of 320px, I found this confusing. Is there a different unit of measurement used in responsive design like em? Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Check out this example for reference:

cssresponsive-designmedia-queries

Answer №1

When it comes to responsive design, there is no specific unit of measurement that must be used. You have the flexibility to choose between pixels, ems, percentages, and more in your CSS...

If you're experiencing issues, one possible cause could be the absence of a viewport tag in the head section of your page. Including something like the following can help: 

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

Omitting this may lead to smartphones scaling the page unnaturally, which goes against the principles of responsive design.

While not directly related to your current issue, using min-device-width or max-device-width can add complexity, especially for those new to responsive web design. It's often simpler to stick with min-width or max-width. For further information on the distinctions and considerations for retina displays, check out this resource:

I hope this information proves helpful!

Answer №2

Ensure that you include the following code in the <head> section of your HTML document:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width">

It is recommended to utilize fluid grids using percentages for width, as well as relative font sizes such as em or rem. If you are new to responsive design, consider exploring frameworks like Foundation or Bootstrap to experiment with.

For a helpful starting point on designing responsively, visit:

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