Website Design Policy
There are several technical issues we take into consideration when designing a website.
Browser Support
All of our websites are designed with cross browser compatibility support for the most widely used browsers and operating systems. We also make sure that web pages will work in previous browser versions ensuring that visitors who may not have updated their software are still able to visit the website.
If you request features that are not compatible with older browsers we.ll endeavour to make sure that your website degrades gracefully so that usability isn.t hampered.
We support the latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Safari.
Screen Resolutions
As of January 2008 the most popular screen resolutions in order, expressed in pixels, are 1024×768, 1280×1024 and finally 800×600. Our decision on which resolution to design for is based off numerous criteria including target audience and content type. For example, we believe that an e-commerce website when designed for a browser width of 1024 pixels provides the optimal use of browser space versus products displayed. For corporate websites we prefer using screen resolution of 800 x 600 to ensure the widest possible audience.
If a client requests using a resolution higher than we have advised they should be aware that some screens with lower resolutions may not display all of the website's content without the need for the visitor to use the browser.s scrollbars. We cannot control the screen resolution of a visitor uses to view a website.
Download Speeds
Not all internet users have high speed access, so connection speed also influences the website design process. As a rough guide pages should load no slower than 3 seconds. If your pages download slowly your users will probably move on to another site. Our websites make use of clean optimised code and design elements that keep file and image sizes to their minimum.
Mobile Devices
Mobile browsers are becoming increasingly popular both in business and with individuals, so it's now important to consider how a website will appear not only on a desktop computer or laptop, but also on a diverse range of other devices.
The latest generation of mobile devices use specialised versions of the same browsers used on desktop computers. These offer the same support for core standards as their desktop equivalents, but include specialised interfaces to allow them to be used on smaller screens and without a keyboard and mouse. Since we build standards complaint websites it's likely that your website will work reasonably well on these devices.
Previous generations of mobile devices supported web access through alternate protocols designed specifically for mobile web access, for example the WAP protocol. In the case of these devices it can be necessary to provide alternate versions of a website, and we feel that this is rarely commercially justifiable.
In summary, while it's difficult to offer general guarantees due to the diverse range of devices on the market, it's likely your site will function well with the latest and future generations of mobile devices. We'll be pleased to consult with you during the planning and design stages of your project if you have any specific objectives.
Website Compliance
Our website's are built using well structured semantic code which benefits faster loading for people on slower connections and contributes to making a website more accessible. A website that follows web standards is easier to maintain, helps with cross browser compatibility and contributes to better search engine rankings.
Website Validation
At all stages of the design and coding process we perform numerous quality assurance checks against industry recognised requirements and standards. These include (but are not limited to):
- W3C XHTML code validation
- W3C CSS stylesheet validation
- W3C link validation
- W3C Website Accessibility Guidelines to help comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
- Browser compatibility
It should be noted that however hard we strive for compliance to the above standards, the nature of the internet with its ever changing technology and web browser support, can on a rare occasions make it impossible to achieve 100% validation across all current and older less compatible browsers.
In some instances attempting to conform to a validator can affect the usability of the website as new technologies might yet not be made available to the validator for reference. It should also be noted that if we are required to use third party products we cannot guarantee that the code they produce will validate correctly.
Finally, once completed there always exists the possibility that the client might add additional content to their website that doesn't validate.
We strive to design websites that first and foremost achieve the goals laid out by the design specification whilst delivering the usability the client initially requested.
Coding Standards
We are experienced web-developers and take care to produce high-quality code for our clients which meets the following standards:
- We develop for a standard LAMP platform using the latest stable releases of PHP and MySQL
- We take care to perform input validation on all user-input variables
- We write object orientated code organised using class libraries where appropriate
- We adhere to internet standards and RFC's in order to ensure compatibility
- We use peer-review to check each other's work
Website Content
One of the primary functions of a website is to display high quality content relevant to a target audience. A text rich website not only helps inform visitors about a client's services but also contributes to higher search engine rankings.
Over the years we've become aware that one of the key areas that our clients sometimes have difficulty with is knowing what message they want their website to present and providing the appropriate content to facilitate the design process.
At Trade Web Solutions we recognise that the earlier in the development process we receive a client's content the easier it becomes to design the website. If required, Trade Web Solutions can provide numerous services from copy writing to logo design to help our client's generate high quality content for their websites.
Please refer to our guidelines on content submission, a copy of which can be made available on request.