Create A Website Tailored To Suit Target Population
People are individuals, with differing needs and tastes. Unfortunately, many businesses forget this rule of thumb as they build a website. This is an especially material problem for those of us with special vision requirements, mobility challenges, communication problems, and the like. Everyone is different. Everyone is unique. Yet we all share basic needs and desires. Therefore, it is important to make your web site as accessible as reasonably possible.
Consider someone who is slightly aging. An older person should be given priority from a sales perspective because older people have had more time to accumulate wealth. However, with elders, their eye sight starts to diminish. This is usually not a problem because our operating systems and web browsers can just "bump up" the text size. Or, can they? If you don't account for this functionality when you build a website, important features will not be usable for those with increased text size.
During the process by which you make a website, it is crucial to consider the colors you will use. Color blindness is a not uncommon condition which numerous individuals suffer from. They may be able to distinguish between some hues but not others. Many experience what is termed "red-green color blindness". Therefore, you don't want to utilize such colors to signify something of importance. Keep away from such phraseology as "items printed in red are not currently available".
Next, contemplate restrictions on mobility. At any given moment, the amount of users who aren't able to work with a mouse might in reality be greater than you imagine. Maybe an injury limits their motor skills? For a variety of reasons, keep it ever present in your mind that your audience might not be utilizing a mouse device when you /"make a website"/.
It does not take much effort to create a website that is fully accessible using just the keyboard. In order to get a feel for it, try simulating keyboard navigation by using just the keyboard, without the mouse, to navigate your favorite web sites for an hour or two. You will find that some sites are far easier than others to work with and to navigate. Now, how does your site compare?
Be sure to consider the type of software visitors to your website might be using. There are over a thousand combinations of operating systems/browsers/preference combinations. Are you unintentionally excluding any of them? Think about a site that uses JavaScript to create links in a fancy drop-down menu. Did you know it's common in many workplaces to disable JavaScript for security reasons? What that means is that anyone browsing the web at their workplace won't be able to follow your links to the checkout page! When you create a website, try to create one that doesn't exclude users because of their software.
To recap, the three big issues are mobility, software, and sight. Cater to them, and they will cater to you. With these best practices in mind, you can confidently create a website that will maximize its intent. You'll get more visitors, more repeat visitors, and happier visitors. This is a great way to run a successful business.
Think for a moment about the needs of a senior citizen. When you make a website, it's important to take consideration to the text size and color scheme. Color blindness, in some form or another, is quite common despite popular belief. Now consider mobility restraints. At any time, the number of people who can't operate a mouse may actually be higher than you think. Perhaps an accident restricts their coordination or agility. For several reasons, you should always consider that your users may not be using a mouse when you build a website. To create a website that can function with the keyboard alone takes minimal effort.
Published August 12th, 2008
Filed in Business, Marketing, Web Design