CSS3, Media Queries, and Responsive Design

&
CSS3, Media Queries,
Responsive Design

May 23, 2012
STC Summit
Zoe Mickley Gillenwater | @zomigi

What I do
Books Web
Stunning CSS3: Accessibility
A Project-based Guide to specialist at AT&T
the Latest in CSS
Visual designer
www.stunningcss3.com
CSS developer
and consultant
Flexible Web Design:
Creating Liquid and Elastic
Layouts with CSS
www.flexiblewebbook.com

2

1
3
My home's web-enabled devices

2

2
3

& devices
more mobile devices

more diversity within
EVERY DAY

4

&
every day
1.45 MILLION DEVICES

317,124 BABIES
enter the world

Source: http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1506 5

Growing screen resolution
diversity on desktop
May 2009 widths May 2012 widths

1366
1024 1024
1280 1280
1440 1440
1680 1920
800 1600
1152 1680
other 1360
other

Source: http://gs.statcounter.com 6

25%
of U.S. smartphone users do
MOST OR ALL
of their web browsing on mobile

Source: http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1405 7

?
how can our sites
accommodate all this
DIVERSITY

8

Introducing media queries
• Awesome new part of CSS3
• Simple way to feed different CSS based on
characteristics of user's device
• Used to build responsive/adaptive designs
• Not:
• for feeding styles based on browser
• just for feeding styles based on viewport size

9

Media query syntax: internal
body {
background: gray;
}
@media screen and (max-width:500px) {
body {
background: blue;
}
}

English translation:
Make the background gray. But up to a maximum width of 500
pixels, make the background blue.
10

Flip flop it
body {
background: blue;
}
@media screen and (min-width:501px) {
body {
background: gray;
}
}

English translation:
Make the background blue. But at and past the minimum width
of 501 pixels, make the background gray.
11

Media query syntax: external
Extend the existing media part of the link
element or @import rule:

<link href="narrow.css" rel="stylesheet"
media="only screen and (max-width:500px)">

@import url(narrow.css) only screen and
(max-width:500px);

13

Recommendation: internal
• Main advantages:
• No extra HTTP request(s)
• Not out of sight and forgotten
• Learn full pros/cons: www.zomigi.com/blog/
essential-considerations-crafting-quality-
media-queries

14

!
you now know media query syntax
YAY

15

but media queries don't actually
DO
anything

16

it's the CSS
INSIDE
that changes the appearance

17

Width-dependent layout changes
• Responsive web design:
• Media queries + fluid layouts + fluid media
• See www.alistapart.com/articles/responsive-
web-design/
• Adaptive layouts:
• Media queries + fixed-width layouts
• See www.netmagazine.com/tutorials/
adaptive-layouts-media-queries

18

Retrofitting responsiveness
• Typical to add on media queries for both
smaller and wider styles
• CSS before media queries is default
• Can take different approach when starting
from scratch
• Start with "mobile," layer on wider styles?
• Start with "desktop," layer on narrower styles?
• Start with something in between for majority?

19

Starting with desktop styles
Pros: Cons:
• No extra work to • Mobile devices may
make majority width have to download
appear correctly on unneeded desktop
IE 6-8 assets
• Easiest way to retrofit • Need separate style
existing site sheets or JavaScript
to make mobile
design appear in IE
Mobile 7 and other
older mobile
browsers
20

Starting with mobile styles
Pros: Cons:
• Mobile devices won't • Desktop devices may
download unneeded have to download
desktop assets unneeded mobile
• Older, non-media- assets
query-supporting • Need separate style
mobile browsers still sheets or JavaScript
get the mobile styles to make majority
without any extra desktop design
work appear in IE 6-8

21

Our
starting
point

22

Very wide: awkward

23

Very
narrow:
awkward

24

Wide-screen media query
/*all the other styles up here*/

@media screen and (min-width: 1200px) {
/*styles for larger screens in here*/
}

25

Add third column
#nav-main {
position: fixed;
top: 136px;
width: 13%;
margin: 0;
}
#content-main {
width: 58%;
margin-left: 18%;
}
#content-secondary { width: 20%; }
}
26

Style nav as vertical menu
...
#nav-main li {
float: none;
margin: 0;
}
#nav-main a {
-moz-border-radius: 0;
-webkit-border-radius: 0;
border-radius: 0;
}
}

27

Wide-screen design

28

Small-screen media query

@media screen and (max-width: 760px) {
/*styles for smaller screens in here*/
}

29

Remove columns from text
h1 + p {
-moz-column-count: 1;
-o-column-count: 1;
-webkit-column-count: 1;
column-count: 1;
}
}

30

Stack feature boxes
...
.feature {
float: none;
width: auto;
margin: 0 0 1.6em 0;
padding: 0 0 0 140px;
background-position: top left;
}
}

31

Narrow-
screen
design

32

&
pause for
CAVEATS

CLARIFICATIONS

33

Some sites would be better
served with a separate site for
mobile devices instead of using
media queries.

34

Even if a separate mobile site
would be best, using media
queries is a good first step if a
separate site isn't currently
feasible.

35

“The choice is not between using media queries
and creating a dedicated mobile site; the choice
is between using media queries and doing
nothing at all.”

―Jeremy Keith
http://adactio.com/journal/1696/

36

You can add media queries to a
dedicated mobile site in order to
cater to the wide range of
mobile viewport sizes.

37

If you do use media queries on
a single site, they're not the only
tool you can use—you can add
scripting as well to further
customize the content, markup,
functionality, etc.

38

Media queries are only meant to
solve the problem of mobile's
small viewports, not all the other
things that can make mobile
browsing different (such as
context, bandwidth, etc.).

39

“It's making sure your layout doesn't look crap
on diff. sized screens.”
―Mark Boulton
http://twitter.com/#!/markboulton/status/50237480368214016

40

Mobile media query

/*styles for tiny screens in here*/
}

42

Non-overlapping version
@media screen and (min-width: 551px) and
(max-width: 760px) {
/*styles for small screens in here*/
}
/*styles for tiny screens in here*/
}

43

Media features for mobile
min-width
max-width
device-width
min-device-width
max-device-width
orientation
min-device-pixel-ratio
-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio
min--moz-device-pixel-ratio
-o-min-device-pixel-ratio
44

Useful media features for mobile
min-width
max-width
device-width
min-device-width
max-device-width
orientation
min-device-pixel-ratio
-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio
min--moz-device-pixel-ratio
-o-min-device-pixel-ratio
45

Changing to single column
#content-main, #content-secondary,
#about, #credits {
float: none;
width: 100%;
}
}

46

Changing feature images
...
.feature { padding-left: 70px; }
#feature-candy {
background-image: url(icon_candy_64.png);
}
#feature-pastry {
background-image: url(icon_pastry_64.png);
}
#feature-dessert {
background-image: url(icon_dessert_64.png);
}
}
47

Viewport meta tag
Forces mobile devices to scale viewport to
actual device width

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

49

Zoom problem in iOS
• Remember: device-width on iOS devices
always matches portrait width
• This means design doesn't reflow when you
switch to landscape, but instead just zooms

50

Fixing (and adding) zoom issues
• Option 1: add maximum-scale=1
• But disables user scaling
content="width=device-width, maximum-scale=1">

• Option 2: add initial-scale=1
• Allows user scaling
• But triggers over-zoom/crop bug when
changing from portrait to landscape
content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">

51

The best way to fix zoom issues
• Option 3: add initial-scale=1 plus
script to fix over-zoom bug
• See http://filamentgroup.com/lab/a_fix_for_
the_ios_orientationchange_zoom_bug/

<head>
...
content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<script src="ios-orientationchange-fix.js">
...
</head>
52

View it live
http://stunningcss3.com/code/bakery/

53

More responsive examples
• Design patterns:
• "Multi-Device Layout Patterns" by Luke
Wroblewski: www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1514
• "Responsive Navigation Patterns" by Brad
Frost: http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/web/
responsive-nav-patterns/
• Inspiration:
• Gallery: http://mediaqueri.es/
• My own bookmarks: https://gimmebar.com/
loves/zomigi/tag/mediaqueries

54

Dealing with IE 8 and earlier
• Conditional comments
• JavaScript

55

Conditional comments
• Split styles into separate sheets and feed
applicable sheet to IE based on whether
it's IE on desktop or mobile
• Approach varies based on which set of
styles are your default

56

Conditional comment when
desktop styles are default
Feed IE Mobile 7 media query sheet:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="global.css" media="all">

<link rel="stylesheet" href="mobile.css" media="all
and (max-width: 700px)">



Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/iemobile/archive/2010/12/08/targeting-mobile-
optimized-css-at-windows-phone-7.aspx 57

Conditional comment when
mobile styles are default
Feed older IE media query sheet, hide from
IE Mobile 7:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="global.css" media="all">

<link rel="stylesheet" href="desktop.css" media="all
and (min-width: 700px)">



Source: http://adactio.com/journal/4494/
58

Pre-fab JavaScript for non-
supporting browsers
• Simply add one of these scripts:
• Respond: https://github.com/scottjehl/Respond
• css3-mediaqueries.js:
http://code.google.com/p/css3-mediaqueries-js/
• Avoid extra HTTP request for non-old-IE
browsers using conditional comments:


59

?
WHAT ELSE
can media queries do

60

Swapping images on high-res
displays
@media
screen and (moz--min-device-pixel-ratio : 1.5),
screen and (-o-min-device-pixel-ratio : 3/2),
screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio : 1.5),
screen and (min-device-pixel-ratio : 1.5) {

}

61

Swapping images on high-res
displays
@media ... screen and (min-device-pixel-ratio : 1.5) {
.feature {
-moz-background-size: 64px 64px;
-webkit-background-size: 64px 64px;
background-size: 64px 64px;
}
#feature-candy {
background-image: url(icon_candy_128.png); }
#feature-pastry {
background-image: url(icon_pastry_128.png); }
#feature-dessert {
background-image: url(icon_dessert_128.png); }
}

62

Learn more
Download slides and get links at
http://zomigi.com/blog/responsive-web-
design-presentation

Zoe Mickley Gillenwater
@zomigi
design@zomigi.com
zomigi.com | stunningcss3.com | flexiblewebbook.com
63

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