What Are Your Web Standards?

I recently reworked and rewrote the Web Standards for a employer, which would need to be linked in every webpage/web application’s footer.

When I started this task I was very excited to do this, but I soon found out that every attempt I made was either too long, or what I wrote seemed seemed disingenuous.

I knew that the most important thing for me to include were the criteria we strive to achieve with each and every web design/web application – ACEFRSU (Accessibility, Compatibility, Efficiency (sometimes called Performance), Findability, Responsivity (RWD or RESS), Sustainability, and Usability – and to ensure that all of those criteria words ended in the letter ‘Y’ (which sounds cool and matchy-matchy).

In the end something friendly, short, and to the point was developed, and I wanted to share so that others could use these standards, even if it’s used only as a point of departure.


Accessibility

<<Your Company’s Name>> is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. This website endeavors to conform to level Double-A of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.

Compatibility

The <<Your Company’s Name>>‘s website has been built using code compliant with W3C standards, and supports the current major release and one prior (i.e. the two latest versions) of the following web browsers on a rolling basis:

  • Apple Safari
  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer (IE)
  • Mozilla Firefox – the two latest versions and the current Extended Support Release (ESR)

While the <<Your Company’s Name>> website is compatible with some older web browsers, most interface issues will be resolved by updating the browser on your device to the latest version. For an optimal experience disable the use of ad blocking software to block fonts, imagery, JavaScript, or social media.

Efficiency

<<Your Company’s Name>> analyze and optimize our website following web best practices, and work to identify ways to make our website faster on mobile devices.

Findability

<<Your Company’s Name>> is committed to affecting the visibility of our websites and webpages in a search engine’s natural, organic, and earned results by targeting image, local, video, news, and academic searching. We consider how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines, and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience.

Responsivity

<<Your Company’s Name>> is dedicated to providing responsive digital collections, websites, and web applications in order to make our content and information available on all devices (desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones).

Sustainability

<<Your Company’s Name>> champions designing and developing web applications and websites for the highest common-denominator by creating meaningful, future-friendly content and usable services. By designing with content and mobile first in mind, we reduce excessive noise, find ways to simplify interaction, and increase diversity.

Usability

<<Your Company’s Name>> focuses on how effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily a user can interact with our user interface. We conduct usability tests – which include a range of test and evaluation methods such as automated evaluations, inspection evaluations, operational evaluations, and human performance testing – to see how people use our website, and to yield data that allows us to incrementally improve our website for <<Your Company’s Name>>‘s users.