Have Devices Killed the Desktop?

How Your Customers are Surfing the Web, and What That Means for You

Browsing the internet. It used to be so simple. If you wanted to look at a website, you had a quick choice to make. Turn on your PC, or turn on your Mac? Either way, internet access meant owning a desktop computer. If you wanted to buy something online, check your email, or find out more about a company, youd need to fire up IE or even that version of AOL that came on a CD in the post.

And that made life easier for businesses. Theyd need a site that would look great on a computer monitor with a 12 screen, and that was that. Then something changed. Suddenly, we werent just using our desktops any more.

So how are your customers accessing your website now? And what does that mean for your website?

The Humble Desktop

Traffic facts: Around 78% of web traffic is from desktop users

Design requirements: Screens range from old 12 CRT monitors to 28 LCD displays. Popular browsers include Google Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The time of the desktop isnt yet done, but over the past five years, desktop usage has dropped substantially. In 2008, nearly 100% of traffic came from desktops. Now, its nearer to 75%. And the situation is changing fast. In Spring 2012, 88% of UK web traffic was from desktops fast forward 12 months and that figure had dropped to 78%.

Your website needs to work on desktop screens. Thats a given. But that doesnt mean you dont need a responsive site. Desktop monitors come in all shapes and sizes, and different browsers have different needs. Responsive designs will work just as well on any desktop, giving you one less thing to worry about.