The smarter the internet gets, the more web designers in Lafayette, LA can customize websites to a user with what is called inclusive web design.  The word “inclusive” seems to be everywhere these days, but what does that mean for the internet in 2023?  For one thing, it recognizes that no two users interact with the internet in the same way.  

Building a website for the average user could very well lend you poor results that won’t work out well for anyone. UX web design in Lafayette, LA (UX stands for user experience) includes everything from user research and content strategy to interaction design and usability testing.  It delves into the full spectrum of differences that users experience such as physical differences (vision, dexterity, hearing), mental differences (cognitive ability, speech differences), and technical differences (different hardware, internet connectivity, and computer literacy). Social demographic differences such as age, race, and gender should also be considered, and some go hand in hand. All of these things affect the way a user interacts with and perceives a website. 

In many ways, inclusive UX web design in Lafayette, LA is universal web design.  It allows for each user to have a positive, personalized experience on your website, whether they be colorblind, hearing impaired, or not have access to the most recent technology.  There are 7 main principles to UX web design that should be followed for your website to achieve true inclusivity. Number one would be flexibility. This does not mean creating different websites for different types of users: rather, a website should be built with different elements that allow for different users to choose their experiences. For example, if your website includes a video, including a link to the transcript of the video for those who cannot or do not want to hear/watch the video. Simplicity is another major principle. Minimalist web design makes a site easy to navigate with less visual disturbances for visually impaired people and others. Consistency, perception, and equity are three more principles used for intuitive web design.  The last two are prevention and accommodation.  Prevention means considering the likelihood for human error and also making changes that make human error less likely.  Accommodation means being mindful of people’s differences for both legal and ethical reasons, and integrating those accommodations into the website’s design.