Expertise: More on Web Usability, Standards, and Accessibility
Usability
Usability can be defined as a measure of how easily a product or service can be used. Usability compares the needs or expectations of a user and the product or service being used. Sometimes the needs or expectations of users unknowingly fall short. Usability consulting provides a perspective that sometimes business owners miss such as unknown problems or design flaws.
Usability Considerations
- Who are your customers/users?
- What do your customers/users want or need to do?
- What do your customers see that you do not?
- What is the general background of your customer?
- Can your customers easily accomplish intended tasks within a reasonable amount of time, effort?
- Is there training involved with the use of your product or service?
- What is the total perception of the interaction of your business with your customers?
Usability Characteristics
- Quick and easy to learn
- Efficient to use
- Allows rapid recovery from errors
- Easy to remember
- Enjoyable to use
- Aesthetically pleasing
Benefits of Usability
- The user experiences satisfaction instead of frustration.
- The user achieves goals effectively and efficiently.
- The user gains confidence and trust in a valuable resource.
- The company can save money through increased productivity and reduced support costs.
back to topStandards
Web Standards is not a specifically defined term, but basically it comes down to two main practices in web development:
- Adhering to the world's standards and guidelines set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
- Separating content from design (the content of a site is in the HTML and the design is defined by a CSS file). This allows the content to be described semantically in the mark-up (which has its own set of benefits) rather than being cluttered up with out-dated and repetitive design elements.
Most web sites are HTML Soup—a sloppy mix of old, new, and proprietary code. Web Overhauls designs sites only using the latest Web Standards, such as XHTML (Strict) and CSS 2.
Benefits of Web Standards
- Future-proofing - Web standards ensures that a site will be valid for many years to come. Many sites today use deprecated code, which will eventualy be phased out completely.
- Backwards compatibility - Web standards ensures that your site will be useable on any browser no matter how old.
- Better print facilities - A separate print style may be implemented specifically for printing, which means no more badly printed web pages! Try printing this page to see what we mean.
- Increased speed and reduced costs - Web standards produce cleaner code and smaller files. These download quicker increasing the speed of your site. This also leads to a reduction of traffic, which may reduce hosting costs.
- More flexibility - Because design is controlled by a small set of files, it is possible to quickly and easily change the look of your site without a complete rebuild.
- Improved search engine placement - Search engines do not care about design, they only care about content. Since using web standards separates the two, it makes it easier for the search engines to understand your site.
- Delivery to multiple devices - By separating content from design, you can deliver your content to other devices, such as a mobile phone or a touch screen kiosk, just by changing the design.
- Better accessibility - Sites built with web standards find it easier to conform to accessibility guidelines and legislation.
Accessibility
Accessibility means that all content of a web page is available to any user with any browser or platform. More specifically, this means that people can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the web page. The major factors driving the need for accessibility are:
- Users with disabilities (deafness, color-blindness, cannot use mouse)
- Inexperienced web users
- Users with limited technology (old browser, lowband internet connection, no audio available, etc.)
- May be legally required. Many countries have legislation on web accessibility.
Benefits of Accessibility
- Provides equal access and equal opportunity to people with disabilities (visual, hearing, motor, cognitive).
- Decreases cost of having to provide information in alternative media formats such as alternative web sites, large-print publications, embossed braille, computer disk.
- Increases potential use by more people—expands potential market share.
- Increases positive image.
- Avoids significant legal costs. Some organizations have faced legal action for not making their web sites accessible, which may also result in negative impact on the organization's reputation.