“What do people see when they visit your website? It almost certainly won’t be the same as what you see when you visit it”
Unlike most other visual media, “one size fits all” doesn’t work for web design, as it has to adapt to a whole range of different viewing scenarios.
Every Website Visitor Is Different
Each visitor to your website will see something different because the hardware and software set-up they use to view it, will vary.
These set-up variations will include:
The reality is, you can’t completely control how your website is going to look to every single person who visits it. But there are two important things you should do – maximise compatibility, and ensure your website always remains usable.
Web Standards + Custom Web Design
There is no single working ‘one design fits all’ compatibility model when it comes to web design, and this incidentally, is where the DIY, Web Builder services often fall down. You can’t have an automated design system that works for every customer’s unique website requirements, it’s just not possible.
Add to this the fact many people using these DIY web design services aren’t professional designers, and therefore don’t really understand the complexities of what they’re doing – the result could be a website that for some visitors, not only looks amateurish, but might not even be usable.
This is why we are such strong advocates of ‘Web Standards’; developing websites using code based on best practice and accepted open standards. This will give you a great foundation for the widest website compatibility possible. But this is just the start. A unique website, with unique requirements, requires a unique build – custom web design.