Enhancing the Visual Web Experience

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"God uses us to help each other so, lending our minds out."
Robert Browning: "Fra Lippo Lippi"

Image Tags must include an Alt Tag. Writing alt="link" isn't useful. Instead, write alt="Contact Page link". Blind people surf the web using Screen-Readers to tell them what's on the page.

Some surfers turn images off or use a text-only browser. Text links are more important than graphic links. Using graphics for links has good aesthetic value but include text links as well.

The number of seniors surfing the web steadily increases. Aging eyes need larger font sizes. Style with relative (-1, +1), rather than absolute (10px, 16pt) values, to better suit the viewer's chosen default settings.

10% of the male population suffers a degree of colour-blindness. Assist visibility with a strong contrast and avoid using colour-dependency to convey ideas.

"Legible" isn't always "Readable". A solid block of text is difficult to read on screen. It should be broken into paragraphs with highlighted text for quick scanning.

Newspaper headlines attract the eye. The reader skims these until reaching an item of interest. Translating this format to the screen accommodates what the viewer is used to.

Familiarity = Comfort. Keep the location of your menu and colour-schemes consistent throughout your site. Don't underline text unless it's a link. When you send viewers off on a link show them the way to return. Guide your visitors.

Use appropriate colours to depict your theme. Bright neons, fast scrolling marquees, and flashing text are distracting - even painful - on a text-heavy page.

Don't clutter and overcrowd your page. A clean layout assists viewers with cognitive or perceptual disabilities.

High-speed bandwidth connections are not always available due to location or cost. Your site should be accessible to public institutions (schools, libraries) and outlying communities relying on dial-up connections.

Optimize graphics with compression software and the correct file format. Use thumbnails to give visitors the choice of following a link to an enlarged view.

Larger-sized monitors are more common as prices come down but many viewers are surfing with smaller screens. Consider those using wireless devices, notebooks, laptops, and Web TV. Not all surfing is done on a desktop PC. Sites should accommodate several screen resolutions.

Provide an accurate, informative description of downloadable material. Don't make the viewer wait while a 50-page PDF document arrives if it doesn't include the form he wants.

Include the means to turn off sounds/music and to skip animated intros.

It's the user's choice to optimize his viewing experience by adding plug-ins, selecting and upgrading the browser, adding speakers, permitting controls, and allowing downloads. It's the site owners responsibility to enhance the viewing experience for all users.