Retrofitting an existing design

Adaptive design excels at retrofitting existing websites for mobile use by creating tailored layouts for specific devices. Rather than redesigning the entire website to be responsive, designers can create a separate mobile-friendly version while keeping the original desktop site intact. This approach is particularly efficient when modifying legacy websites (older websites that were built using outdated technologies or design standards).

The key advantage is that developers can add mobile support by creating new viewports without altering the existing website's codebase. This separation minimizes the risk of breaking current functionality while ensuring mobile users get an optimized experience. The process is more straightforward than restructuring an entire website to be responsive, though it requires maintaining multiple layouts.^[1]