Bristol-based agency Nomensa has urged businesses to “realise the importance of cross-channel website design, which is both meaningful and attractive”.
Nomensa said businesses are “risking customer engagement and therefore revenue by failing to ensure their websites are functional and accessible without compromising on design”.
Simon Norris, CEO of Nomensa, explained that with the predicted growth of mobile, “a website which is responsive and accessible on all devices is a must-have”. He said that, all too often, businesses have wrongly concentrated heavily on business apps to the detriment of making websites functional and accessible on smartphone and tablet browsers.
According to Norris, customers now have “an abundance of information around them and so their expectations of digital experiences are greater than ever”. The company hoped its own relaunched website could be an example of good practice in this area. A press release explained how Nomensa.com “enables positive online relationships to be developed with users by taking a content-first, rather than a design-first approach”, but also was “designed […] to a high accessibility standard, making it accessible to all without neglecting the beauty of the site”.
Norris said too often designers believe accessibility compromises attractive design, mirroring design and illustrator Geri Coady’s thoughts in her recent interview with .net. Like Coady, Norris argued this just isn’t the case: “An accessible site does not mean text-only, monochrome designs and static content. After all, accessibility is a key part of user experience.” He continued to say that great online experiences must feel engaging, intuitive and easy; and whatever device someone is using, and whatever their accessibility needs, “expectations should be met by delivering an experience as meaningful and enjoyable as possible”.
