[thelist] color blindness

Frank framar at interlog.com
Fri Oct 6 13:11:18 CDT 2000


>  Remember that there are more disabled people out there
>  than you may think - up to around 10% of the population
>  (in the UK, 5m people are registered as being disabled)

Well let's wait a minute here! I see things a bit differently than 
many, but I'm by no means disabled. (If I am, I demand a special 
parking permit! <g>).

>  And also, there is potentially a reputational
>  cost/benefit analysis to be undertaken.

I think, as someone earlier mentioned, above all, it's a matter of 
how important an audience is to you. There are also trade-off: Can 
you profitably create a website that is at once:

a) Useful
b) Aesthtically pleasing
c) Usable by people with full/partial/no colour vision
d) Usable by people with no vision whatsoever
e) Usable by people who are totally, partially deaf
f) Usable by people who can't use a keyboard or mouse
g) Usable by people with low end hardware
h) Usable by people with low end software
i) Usable by people with a 300 baud modem (think Africa)
j) Usable by people who speak a language other than your own (a minimum of 85)
k) Usable by people with certain religious/political sensibilities
l) Usable by people of different cultures whose symbology is different.
m) Usable by people of varying degrees of education
n) Usable by people who have some/none/all of your plug-ins
o) Usable by people with lower IQ's, or who are very tired or overworked

AND still make it bring in more money for the client than they spent?

As with anything else, we can be purists/perfectionists get it 
'right' (and never done, and not profitable) or we can swing to the 
other extreme, of targeting a very precise niche, and working it.

Sometimes it's worth asking the question: Do I really care if 
55,000,000 people will not purchase from my site? Face it: How many 
of us actually can service  55,000,000 clients?

It's all in the balance.
-- 

Contents not intended for use in the operation of nuclear facilities,
aircraft navigation or communication systems, air traffic control
systems, life support machines or other equipment in which the failure
of the information could lead to death, personal injury, or severe
physical or environmental damage.

--
Frank Marion                      Loofah Communications
frank at loofahcom.com               http://www.loofahcom.com





More information about the thelist mailing list