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SimplyRaydeen.com
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Web Site Accessibility/Usability: Left or Right Navigation |
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Which is the best navigation - top, left, bottom or right?Past studies, advice from experts in the field, and discussions on forums are conflicting but it now appears that some who may have used the traditional left-side navigation module, have now converted their websites to right-side navigation. Has right-hand side navigation become the norm? It is beginning to appear that way when a web site is conveying information as well as some eCommerce web sites. The White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov/) uses right-hand navigation for their Briefing Room and Latest News as well as other items where content is the main objective of the web page. Some things to keep in mind:
1. Conformity -- whether you decide left or right, keep it consistent throughout your website. Your viewers should be able to get to a desired web page in a maximum of three clicks. Your main web pages should be available in one click. 2. Sighted Users - Most (at least in N. America) read left to right. If its important that you want users to read your content (informational sites/blogs), put the content on the left and the navigation bars on the right. Some would agree that if your site is an eCommerce or Corporate website, put the navigation on the left-hand side. It will feel more traditional to look for navigation on the left, giving the user a quick overview and will also force users to browse over the links. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 27 February 2012 18:49 |
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Tools To Check Your WebSite’s Structure, Accessibility and Usability |
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It has been two and half years since the original article '12 tools to check your sites accessibility' was posted by SitePoint (see below). Not much has changed...the tools may have just gotten better or have disappeared entirely. Every website should offer 'equal access to information', regardless of disability -- that is what accessibility is really about. Using semantically structured HTML coding (a webpage's 'foundation') and Cascading Style Sheets (a webpage's 'curb appeal') will ensure that a webpage is not only accessible to everyone, but will be easily adapted to accommodate emerging technologies and web standards. Your first goal should always be to ensure that your webpage is built using industry standards. And, that it is open to business to everyone. W3C - Web Design and Applications: http://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/ |
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Google News Module Suddenly Stopped Working in IE8 - is iframes the problem? |
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What a difference a day makes! One day, my Google News Module, a Joomla! Module that adds a NewsShow embedded on my website's home page, was working great. In fact, it had been working for several months with no problems. Then, it just stopped working and I got that dreaded message: "This content cannot be displayed in a frame. To help protect the security of information you enter into this website, the publisher of this content does not allow it to be displayed in a frame..." I used Internet Explorer 8 for most of my daily internet access. At first, I thought that Google News was having a problem and waited out the day to see what was going on. By chance, I was using Google Chrome to create some documents on Google Docs later in the day and realized that my Google News Module was working just fine there. Hopefully, this article will save you some headaches. If you are using Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) and your NewsShow suddenly stopped working, the problem is not the 'iframe' as first expected. The problem is how the rules changed and what worked previously does not work any longer. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 23 January 2012 20:08 |
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Web Accessibility/Usability: Top 10 Web Hosting Providers |
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Today, there is so much competition between web hosting providers. They all pretty much offer the same services and the costs are fairly competitive. Who has the advantage? It depends on which 'top ten' web hosting list that you look at. I haven't found one 'top ten' list that rates a website hosting provider on accessibility and usability. After all, the services that they provide are open to everyone, including those with disabilities and the aging population. Or, are they? In the next few years, the baby boomer generation will consist of people who use computers and are not afraid of technology. Dedicated web hosting -- Web Hosting Geeks READ MORE: Here are SimplyRaydeen.com's picks for the 'Top Ten' web hosting providers, using one easy test for accessibility and usability – the Functional Accessibility Evaluator (FAE). “Following the best practices in developing web resources not only improves accessibility for people with disabilities, but also improves interoperability, giving everyone the benefit of having more options for accessing and using those resources.” -- http://fae.cita.uiuc.edu/about/ |
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Bringing it Back to Basics...Website Accessibility Structural Sufficiency |
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Building a quality Web site is like building a new home. Home builders rely on industry building standards. A Web site developer codes to W3C standards. Web site owners want to ensure that their Web site is built using industry standards and that it is open to business to everyone. The owner may be able to readily describe what is visible but may not necessarily be able to assess the Web site's structural sufficiency.  
Download the PDF file... The idea behind the concept...'structural sufficiency'A home builder uses an architect's blueprint to build a home. The foundation is poured, the walls are framed in and the roof is put on. Wiring, plumbing, heating, ... the builder completes the project setting up a state-of-the-art home. Home buyers want to be sure that their home is built with quality products and to industry building code specifications. A building inspector, who is not an Engineer or a Registered Architect, can describe what is visible; however, the inspector would not be able to assess the home's structural sufficiency.
Web site owners want to ensure that their Web site is built using industry standards as well. And, that it is open to business to everyone. Although the owner may be able to readily describe what is visible he may not necessarily be able to assess his Web site's structural sufficiency. Automated Web site validation tools are available to anyone, but when a Web site claims conformance from only a tool, it can only mean that the page(s) passed all of the automatic tests. (The problem with automated accessibility testing tools) |
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