Kelso Web Services, LLC

Philosophy

The Internet is the media of our times. It is supplementing, and in some cases, supplanting the older medias of the printed page, radio, and television. But it is a very different media. Many web sites are created that emulate newspapers or TV ads; these sites tend to have been created by people stuck in the old medias. Quite simply, these sites do not work.

Studies (see Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox for May 2, 1999), have shown that the average web user will not wait more than 10 seconds for a page to load. Faster Internet connection speeds have only made users want faster response times. What slows down a page? Graphics. Specifically extraneous, overly large graphics, and too many of them. Graphics have their purpose (people want to be able to see what it is they are buying). The use of graphics should be controlled; their size can be reduced using special software and their placement can be better utilized.

Web sites should be intuitive. This means that they behave the way you expect them to. If you see a word or phrase that is underlined and blue, you assume that it is link to another page. If it isn't a link, you get frustrated (OK, that was done on purpose). The navigation system should be one that the user immediately understands. There should always be a way to move back and forth through the site. Hitting the tab, back tab, and enter keys should not produce surprises.

Not all users are alike. Some, for instance, wear bifocals. A site that uses small fonts that cannot be enlarged may frustrate such users to the point that they will leave the site and never come back. Twenty per cent of the male population is color blind (yes, that is why our mothers and spouse have to dress us). Using a green font on a blue background or red font on a green backround may make it unreadable (not to mention ugly). White text on a black background is readable only for a short time. AND ALL UPPER-CASE TEXT IS SO DIFFICULT TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THAT CORPORATE LAWYERS REQUIRE IT IN ALL THOSE SHRINK WRAP SOFTWARE LICENSES.

Have you noticed how handy those "curb cuts" at sidewalk corners are? Bicyclists, parents with baby carts, seniors, and anyone with wheeled luggage have all found them a boon. However, the cuts were not put there for them. They were put there for people with disabilities but everybody benefits from them. Web sites are also used by people with disabilities. Web sites should never place any impediments before such people. All web sites should be Bobby compliant and, by law, all web sites that are funded in any amount by Federal funds, must comply with Section 508 guidelines. When a web site is friendly towards people with disabilities, it is friendly to everyone and vice versa. All of Kelso Web Services, LLC sites meet the latest Bobby/Section 508 guidelines.