The Definitive Guide to Principles of Web Design Accessibility by Naples Web Design
July 19 2011
In the early years of the World Wide Web, most of its users belonged to the geek crowd: technology savvy, computer obsessed, relatively young people. Then it spread to the general populations of university campuses and business offices. Today, with the far-reaching influence of the Internet phenomenon, anyone from six-year-old children playing games on the Disney website to 76-year-old grandparents using Facebook to stay in touch with distant loved ones can be found online. As website designers, we must constantly evaluate our work to make sure that it remains user-friendly and accessible to the wide range of modern consumers.
Remember: No matter how pleased you are with the aesthetics of your design, it won’t help the average user unless he can also find his way around your site. Use this article as a guide to keeping your website accessible to your target demographic.
What works best for the user experience?
Keep in mind that the majority of consumers will not have the same expertise and technological sophistication that you have as a designer. Make sure that you design the website from their perspective, not yours.
When conceptualizing a website, focus on the purpose that it serves for the average user. Why is he there? What does he need from the site? How long, on average, is he going to stay? Whether for information, entertainment, or socializing, the needs of your target market should be one of your foremost considerations. If he enjoys his experience and feels at home with the website, chances are high that he’ll stay longer, and even return.
Users don’t spend time reading, they scan
I’m sure you worked very hard on the text you put on your front page, choosing each word carefully. But most consumers with hundreds of options at their fingertips will not spend time reading everything they see; they’ll just scan. If they don’t find what they need immediately, it’s on to the next website on the search results page.
With these in mind, ask yourself: How can I give the viewer what he needs at just a glance? A clean, organized layout, bold headings, and readable fonts will help in achieving this. Several well-chosen, attention-grabbing titles placed strategically will catch your reader’s attention and hold it long enough to encourage him to read the rest.
Applying Occam’s Razor to your design
Occam’s Razor, or the law of economy, states that “entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity”. In design, this means not using two or more elements when just one would serve the purpose adequately.
Simplicity is one of the characteristics of a user-friendly, navigable interface. Too much clutter, and your viewer will have to struggle to find what he needs from all the buttons, widgets, and links on the site. This can get annoying, and will turn the user off to find a more neatly organized resource.
I’m not saying the website should be completely bare and unadorned. The important thing is to keep it uncomplicated enough for your demographic to use. To apply Occam’s Razor, evaluate every element on the site: Is it absolutely necessary? Can its purpose be served by something else that’s already there? By keeping the interface uncluttered, you’re making sure that your viewer can focus on the content and leave satisfied.
Keep your hyperlinks looking like links
User interactivity on your website is mostly accomplished through hyperlinks. The rest of the content is usually static, but the presence of hyperlinks invite the user to take action: to click or not to click?
As a designer, you must alert the consumer to these options. Hyperlinks are portals to other pages on the site or to external websites, so they must look significantly different from ordinary text. Hover effects, such as color or font changes, can accomplish this. Don’t get so funky with your effects that it’s no longer recognizable for what it is. This might seem obvious to a designer, but it never hurts to reinforce the basics.
Keep your Design Organized yet Inspiring
As a website designer, your job is to structure the site into a format that has a natural, organized flow that will make visitors feel relaxed and at home. Keep honing your skills and seeking feedback, and remember that no one can make the “perfect” web page, but it doesn’t mean you can’t try.
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