I admit I am probably not the best authority on technology. I have a creaky old computer on my desk at home, complete with a dial-up connection to the local internet service provider. I further admit that it’s a Macintosh, something not seen very often outside of schools and publishing houses. I realize I’m in the minority.

But the other day, I tried to log on, from home, to a well-known cleaning-product manufacturer’s consumer site. I can only conclude that this company doesn’t want people who use out-of-date computers to learn anything about its products, because I didn’t even get a chance to look. Before a (very large, very slow) graphic even finished downloading, I got redirected from the site, told I didn’t have the proper plug-ins and was instructed to download an updated browser. (Ever try that on a dial-up? Set it up before you go to bed and hope for the best.)

United Airlines, also, recently received some bad press when site visitors discovered they couldn’t book a ticket using some versions of Netscape or America Online’s proprietary browser. (This wasn’t for security — someone just didn’t check.)

Now, I’m not suggesting anyone selling their wares via the Web compromise privacy or safety by allowing transactions through less secure browsers. But am I out of line believing that if I want to buy something from someone, they shouldn’t put obstacles in my way?

What if your site does the same thing? And what if I was a potential customer, researching contractors for my dozens of buildings? If I got redirected, bounced or lectured, you bet I’d go elsewhere.

If you must have the bells and whistles, put them on a secondary page, and warn users they must have a certain browser or program before they click. Keep the main page simple, and all vital information accessible to everyone. Go to the library or a community college to try your site on a variety of computers.

Some Web sites, most notably Wired.com, go to great lengths to ensure their content is readable by everyone. When I visit Wired with my out-of-date browser, I get a bare-bones site, with a notice saying it’ll look much better if I upgrade to a standards-capable browser, but I can read the content using anything. For more information on standards, visit webstandards.org. (Yes, even from a Mac.)

True, more people and businesses have high-speed Internet connections than ever, and I suppose I’ll eventually bite the bullet and get one at home. But even as our home and office connections get better, new ways of accessing the Internet resurrect these problems. Think all these animations are cute now? Try loading them onto an Internet-enabled cell phone, or when your laptop is plugged into a per-minute socket in a hotel or on an airplane. I’ll bet you a dial-up modem you’ll re-think your Web design.




POSTED ON: 3/1/2003