Examples of what should and should not be done are the website of The New York Times and Wikipedia . The site of The New York Times is divided into columns with a fixed width. Difficult to access for the visually impaired. When enlarged, the headings do not fit in the columns and various page elements overlap where this is not intended. The design of Wikipedia is content-driven. It is clear that the content determines the layout here. Enlarging the content means a scaled page. The website is flexible .
The New York Times website
The New York Times website
Not only for the visually impaired, static websites are less accessible. Mobile users also experience this problem. Traditional websites do not take into account the different screen resolutions of tablets or mobile devices, for example. This is worrying, according to Zeldman, because 30% of web users are 'mobile only'. He then stated: “design that doesn't serve people does not serve business.”
By the way, he wasn't just referring to the flexibility of websites. Page elements like ads and sidebars with irrelevant information pollute websites and hinder the user in completing his tasks, namely: the targeted consumption of the right content.
Add-blockers or 'bookmarklet apps' like Instapaper , Readability or Svpply all share the same characteristic: they filter relevant content. Instapaper and Readability even place ' orbital content ' in their own layout. A layout that is purely and solely intended for consuming content. Zeldman: “bypassing your design is no longer a minority activity.” So, if content is not accessible, visitors will find alternatives. And the solution lies with us as designers. We can and must do something about this.
Progressive enhancement
Progressive enhancement focuses on what matters most: content. Content is the core around which you layer style and interaction. Zeldman referenced the book 'Adaptive Web Design' and the article ' Understanding Progressive Enhancement ' by Aaron Gustafson . Gustafson provided a clear explanation using the following image.
Progressive enhancement: content, presentation and interaction
Progressive enhancement: content, presentation and interaction
“ Start with your content peanut, marked up in rich, semantic (X)HTML. Coat that content with a layer of rich, creamy CSS. Finally, add JavaScript as the hard candy shell to make a wonderfully tasty treat (and keep it from melting in your hands).”
With content as a starting point, we really serve the visitor. But how do we apply progressive enhancement to all those different (mobile) devices and tablets?
Responsive web design is a methodology that is based on a flexible grid, media queries and turkey telegram data flexible media. It is a (help) tool to serve visitors with the right content on multiple devices (in the right context). In other words: responsive web design is a tool to give visitors what they really want. Read in this article how many facets you can apply responsive web design to (target group, content and context).
Finally, Zeldman referred to the purpose for which Tim Berners Lee designed the web, quoting: “the power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”
Digital design, part of the individual
Ben Hammersley , internet technologist, journalist, author, speaker and teacher, reflected on the developments and consequences of digital design. An example: “a few years ago Zuckerberg created something so he could stalk a girl and nothing has been the same since.”
Just think about what is going on. It is not Henk and Ingrid who are constantly looking for new (improved) technologies. They can call the neighbours when the frying fat is finished, watch 'The Voice of Holland' and read the digital newspaper on the website of De Telegraaf. They are satisfied with the beautiful devices they own. It is politicians, banks and industrial designers who stimulate development. " They go crazy when they see a grazing horse grazing at the same pace after ten years ", says Hammersley.