> K, so you're suggesting that we not enable a "usability feature" because Apple's guidelines suggest that there are alternative ways to specify the correct viewport?
No that's the opposite of what I'm saying. Apple has created a usability feature called 'User Scaling' and enabled it by default for usability purposes. Apple also added the <meta> tags that control the viewport, including disabling User Scaling, and strongly urges designers & developers to do two things:
1) Design your site with iOS users and hardware in mind
2) Use the correct viewport tag that gives the best experience
> On responsive sites, the idea behind them is that the site does its best guess of being responsive based on the size of the viewport.
I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. There's not much guessing going on here, you are either able to define the viewport, or it will render the page at the widths specified in the page styles. If you have defined the viewport there is no guessing involved and it will render the same way from device to device.
> sometimes the websites behavior isn't as intended, sometimes the designer didn't test with my exact device, size, eyesight, etc.
Chances are I didn't test with your exact device, but when I style things I have a set of rules and tools that help ensure that the same content renders the same way anywhere. If I tested only against released hardware then my sites wouldn't be future-proof. I design my stuff to work on all screen sizes smaller and larger than would be in use today so it not only shows up the same everywhere, but will continue to show up the same on devices released years from today.
I also regularly test on quirky hardware like PS Vita, and anything else with a browser that I can get my hands on just to make sure there aren't any weird bugs or edge cases.
Here's a real-world case study: a friend had a sign up funnel and was tracking 900 different mobile devices on his site. On my main gig we have 1,300+ different devices a month! I put my responsive and mobile polish on top of his existing site and we moved the needle on signups 2% since then, and that change has lasted. Clearly, whatever I'm doing it making it easier for mobile users to get in the door with their dollars, and I have the numbers to vouch for that!
> Clearly, whatever I'm doing it making it easier for mobile users to get in the door with their dollars, and I have the numbers to vouch for that!
The flaw in this argument is that you are measuring across the total population, and totally ignoring that while your overall changes may help some proportion, some parts of it may actively prevent others from using the site at all.
Great for you if all you care about is the money. Not so great if you want to e.g. ensure people with disabilities have a good experience too.
No that's the opposite of what I'm saying. Apple has created a usability feature called 'User Scaling' and enabled it by default for usability purposes. Apple also added the <meta> tags that control the viewport, including disabling User Scaling, and strongly urges designers & developers to do two things:
1) Design your site with iOS users and hardware in mind
2) Use the correct viewport tag that gives the best experience
> On responsive sites, the idea behind them is that the site does its best guess of being responsive based on the size of the viewport.
I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. There's not much guessing going on here, you are either able to define the viewport, or it will render the page at the widths specified in the page styles. If you have defined the viewport there is no guessing involved and it will render the same way from device to device.
> sometimes the websites behavior isn't as intended, sometimes the designer didn't test with my exact device, size, eyesight, etc.
Chances are I didn't test with your exact device, but when I style things I have a set of rules and tools that help ensure that the same content renders the same way anywhere. If I tested only against released hardware then my sites wouldn't be future-proof. I design my stuff to work on all screen sizes smaller and larger than would be in use today so it not only shows up the same everywhere, but will continue to show up the same on devices released years from today.
I also regularly test on quirky hardware like PS Vita, and anything else with a browser that I can get my hands on just to make sure there aren't any weird bugs or edge cases.
http://www.quirksmode.org/blog/archives/2010/04/a_pixel_is_n...
Here's a real-world case study: a friend had a sign up funnel and was tracking 900 different mobile devices on his site. On my main gig we have 1,300+ different devices a month! I put my responsive and mobile polish on top of his existing site and we moved the needle on signups 2% since then, and that change has lasted. Clearly, whatever I'm doing it making it easier for mobile users to get in the door with their dollars, and I have the numbers to vouch for that!