[thelist] Is accessibility god, or just an angel? WAS: How do I submit...

Chris Kavanagh chris at logorocks.com
Thu Apr 21 19:27:00 CDT 2005


Christian Heilmann wrote:
> That's where gradual enhancement comes in. Accessibility is the basic
> need, then you  can enhance...

Agreed, but I'd add the caveat: the solution needs to be accessible *to 
the target audience*, and not to anyone else.  Even then, if the choice 
is between a design that is 100% accessible, and one that is 80% 
accessible but has a 50% higher conversion rate: accessibility goes out 
of the window in any sensible discussion.

Jeff Howden wrote:
> Honestly, it's not the designers job to dictate
> functionality.

Maybe not in your office, but it can be of course.

> Has anyone noticed that the web is getting less "designery" and more
> functional driven?

I think that's in large part due to "web designers" tending not to have 
a trained background in visual communication.  It's a huge opportunity 
for those that do, of course: the more visually homogenous, bland, 
herdish, and boring websites become, the easier it becomes to stand out 
in the mind of the consumer.  (To realise what a big deal this is: 
consider how many billions of dollars companies spend to achieve this 
aim in conventional media.)



More information about the thelist mailing list