This is where responsive web design steps in as the holy grail of solutions, suggesting that design and development should respond to a users behaviour and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation. So rather than designing/developing for every single device, it’s far simpler to create a few broader & more flexible interfaces that respond to certain criteria.

The practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and intelligent use of CSS media queries. As a user switches from one device to another, the website should have the technology to respond to this and automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities. Essentially this is the perfect solution, eliminating the need for a different design and development phase for each platform on the market.

It may seem like a difficult discipline to master but if you way up the amount of time and money you can save in the long run, its value simply cannot be ignored.

I’ve put together a couple of my favourite resources on Responsive Web Design to help you along your way:

• - Responsive Web Design by Ethan Marcotte on A List Apart (A pioneer of the movement)
• - Responsive Web Design Examples & Best practices
• - mBricks report on different mobile resolutions
• - Responsive Web Design Techniques, tools and design strategies
• - Responsive Web Design: What It Is and How To Use It