Everyone knows web design is something every business needs to get right - but many people don't realise the absolute importance of it. A startling amount of interaction between businesses and their customers is controlled by web design. Web design influences how customers complete transactions, how they obtain information about a particular business, and it affects how a business is perceived by the general public. In a nut shell, web design dictates how accessible a business makes itself to the public. But what happens if people don't find the website accessible in itself?
Everyone knows web design is something every business needs to get right - but many people don't realise the absolute importance of it. A startling amount of interaction between businesses and their customers is controlled by web design. Web design influences how customers complete transactions, how they obtain information about a particular business, and it affects how a business is perceived by the general public. In a nut shell, web design dictates how accessible a business makes itself to the public. But what happens if people don't find the website accessible in itself? New research has found that approximately 25 percent of world-wide internet users have some sort of mobility, auditory or visual disability. This is a large figure which your company could be excluding just by overlooking correct web design standards.
What web accessibility means, is that your web design should strive to accommodate the broadest possible scope of users. Web accessibility typically refers to making sure disbled user groups have proper access to your website. The World Wide Web Consortium has established guildelines, called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which promote universal website accessibility. In Australia, it's also important for your web design to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 regarding web accessibility. There are many ways which web design might hinder disabled persons' access to a website. For example, users with motor impairment who need to use non-standard keywords and pointing devices. Others may need to use non-standard browsers, such as browsers with the inbuilt capacity to convert text into speech, or text into brail. A large number of people also use lower screen resolutions, smaller screens or larger fonts. Colourblind users are also important to take into account, as it's important not to have important web design elements distinguishable only by colour.
A lot of the time, a small alteration will suffice to fix an offending web design. Simple things like small fonts or complicated navigation menus are easy ones to spot yourself. There are also many online tools which can help you pinpoint any problems with your web design, including simulators which can help you understand how your web design might look to a colourblind person. It's important to make sure your website complies with web design accessibility standards in order to facilitate a more equitable internet experience for everyone. Improving your website in these ways will also mean your business doesn't inadvertently miss a large chunk of society, or lose potential customers.
