Over the past year, we have been attempting to design and redesign our applications to meet the needs of all our clients. This has been an enormous challenge since our users come from varied backgrounds with some having little to no computer experience while others are pros. We also see a range of devices that are being used. New technologies are coming out at an increasing speed, and everyone wants their device to work instantly. With all these rapid changes, we’ve been consistently meeting to come up with ways to address these challenges.
I found an article recently that articulates the problem. Brad Frost points out in his article, we must work towards a web that is truly “Future-Friendly.” This means that we can’t get boxed in to a particular format and either ignore or react to whatever comes next. We need to prepare now for what’s coming next. This verbalizes exactly what we’ve been trying to do, but have lacked the words to describe it. We must get rid of the clutter, get rid of the distractions that people are now being bombarded with on a daily basis. When people visit our sites, they need to be presented with only the tools and features that they need, not some cute or fancy interface that puffs up the experience.
We also need to cater to our client’s devices. This doesn’t mean everything works in all places the same way. Instead we must evaluate the needs of the user in each situation and address those core challenges. Some of the other ideas out there include responsive web design, mobile first design, and getting away from viewing web pages as, well, pages. We’ll be discussing those later. Check back with us often, we look forward to hearing from you.