Designing with web standards
Good Design
Good design is about ‘Future Proofing’ your website, meaning to not become obsolete in the future. Web standards are the only way to future proof your website.
In their most basic form, some of the benefits of web standards are:
- Reduced production time (less time = less $$)
- Reach more users & exclude fewer
- Updating your site takes less time (less $$ again)
- No need to rebuild your site for new browsers or technology
- Prevent unneccessary legal battles (The Australian DDA)
In the past and unfortunately still to this day, some web developers have been using out-dated coding methods to design websites.
These old methods cause your website to exclude visitors with certain web browsers or users with special requirements. It's these same methods that also increase the cost to your business because of the “build, break, rebuild” development cycle.
This is how the scenario usually goes:
- You pay someone to build your website
- A new browser version is released and your site stops working
- You pay someone to rebuild your website
- Then a new browser version is released
It's a vicious and expensive cycle you can do without.