Which way to go - Adaptive/Responsive?

In the 'post-PC world', where 30%-50% of website traffic comes from mobile devices, how must organizations deal with this change in user behavior? eBusiness teams are planning big time investments in this space, as the below chart from Forrester confirms :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responsive Design / Adaptive Design are two buzzwords making the rounds in the digital space / user experience space while defining omni-channel experiences. To the layman, they probably sound like two interchangeable labels for the same technology. They optimize web content to fit a variety of devices. But the differences between the two often set the stage for the responsive vs adaptive dilemma faced by enterprises who offer their services on the web.

Though there is no grounded methodology or a successful formula, here are a few thoughts on the process behind these:

 

 

Responsive Design is client-side; Adaptive design is server-side. The difference between the 2 adaptation for development with pros & cons are as below:

As for all technology decisions faced by enterprises, the solution to the responsive vs adaptive dilemma depends on their mobile web strategy and the outcomes they expect. If a business is looking to upgrade their existing web services to a mobile-friendly customer base, responsive design might serve the purpose. But if a business is focused on a mobile-first user experience, the key to the future lies in adaptive design.

Content is still a challenge and important to be focused on:

While companies make decisions on either methods of implementation, the end customer’s expectation is still not easy to comprehend. The user expects content to be maintained across devices with no expectation on his memory load To give an e.g. – a typical, young user trying to register on a portal has very little patience with filling up lengthy forms for personal details. As per his expectation, he can only fill in his leisure time and with available devices around him; the onus of getting this information from him is on the organization.

This is possible only with a seamless content state across devices;
this is being predominantly adopted off late as per the below
Forrester report.