University of Greenwich
Website and presentation by James Barker, 3rd December 2003.
Should websites be designed in such a way as to allow the user to decide how they are rendered or should web designers attempt to exert the same control over their designs that print designers have?
Conclusion
The answer is:
The web designer should design their site so as to maintain
GOVERNANCE
if not absolute control.
To have control the designer must test and be happy with the way the site looks in a wide variety of browsers, platforms, resolutions and accessibility options. By checking at least the most common set-ups, the designer can still be in control for around 99% of users. With the best will in the world there will be still be unusual client set-ups somewhere that they just couldn't reasonably have considered during design.
Should they exert complete control?
It depends
The designer needs to analyse the site's user base, their browser and resolution set-ups, and code accordingly. The designer should check out statistics specific to that particular user base but the general stats are a good guide for the global population as a whole.
The designer can have control AND give the users different accessibility options
The designer MUST TEST how the site looks under different screen conditions and browsers and be happy with them all. This way control is maintained, the designer has tested all options, but the user gets a comfortable experience. Consider it governance rather than 100% control. Whether site is mainly text, images or both would influence the designer's layout.
Things to consider when building a site
- fixed or fluid layout?
- how will text look under different conditions?
- do you have enough content to fill a high resolution screen?
- use universal fonts
- consider 800x600 user base, 640x480 negligible
- websafe colours not necessary
- accessibility
- code to standards
- for certain sites, consider switchable CSS (skins)
All of course, within budget!
To discuss this website, please visit the Website Architecture forum (course students only), or e-mail me: jim.barker@freeuk.com
©James Barker, December 4th, 2003