Usability, Standards, and Accessibility
Usability
There’s a right way to design a web site
Very simply, usability means that your site is capable of being used to accomplish your goals. We begin with the end user in mind, so your visitors don’t have to think any more than necessary while on your Web site. Some of the methods we employ to improve usability are:
- Making all copy easy to scan. This is accomplished by using concise paragraphs and bulleted lists to relay your main points.
- Make the most requested information on your site the easiest to find
- Make all navigation intuitive and easy to understand
Standards and Accessibility
There is only one right way to design Web sites—with standards. Blue Molecule Design creates Web sites that adhere to standards set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium. Just the phrase “designing with standards” sounds like a wet blanket, but doing so has several benefits, including:
- Cleaner code – Many Web surfers never consider the importance of clean code in a Web site. Clean, compliant code makes it:
- easier for search engines to index your Web site, and therefore easier for users to find your Web site
- easier to maintain your Web site – code is easier to decipher by other developers when it is designed with standards, and this helps minimize your maintenance costs.
- easier for browser to display your pages – clean code typically decreases the time it takes to download a page.
- Accessibility – Blue Molecule strives to make all Websites it builds compliant with Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act. We believe the Internet should be accessible to everyone, and designing with standards allows for persons with disabilities to gain access.
To learn how to make your site more usable, contact us for a free Web site consultation.
