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9 fundamentals of effective web design applied in Manchester9 fundamentals of effective web design applied in Manchester

August 31, 2022| admin| 0 Comment| 10:33 am

An efficient website design should carry out its intended function by successfully communicating the site’s intended message while simultaneously capturing the attention of site visitors. The design of a website may be improved in a number of ways by focusing on its consistency, colors, font, graphics, simplicity, and usefulness, among other things.

With the sole goal to deliver original and quality services, Markustudio has grown rapidly, a freelance web designer in Manchester providing web design, logo branding, print, SEO and digital design services. If you need help creating a style guide or staying consistent with your branding, our team of experts is here to assist you.

When it comes to the design of a website, there are a lot of important variables that will contribute to how people feel about it. A website that has been well created can help visitors feel more at ease and direct them toward taking action. Making ensuring that the design of your website is optimized for usability (both in terms of form and aesthetics) and determining how easy it is to use are both essential steps in the process of creating a fantastic user experience (functionality).

When planning your subsequent website project, the following suggestions will be of use to you.

1. WEBSITE PURPOSE

Your website absolutely must be able to fulfill the requirements of the user. It will be easier for the user to interact with what you have to offer if you have a straightforward objective stated clearly on each page. What are you hoping to accomplish with this website? Are you providing step-by-step instructions or other useful information, much like a “how to” guide? Is it a website that provides amusement, such as sports news, or are you trying to sell something to the user? Websites can serve a wide variety of functions, but there are some fundamental goals that every website should strive to achieve.

Describing Expertise
Constantly Working to Build Your Reputation
Generating Leads
Sales and Customer Service Following the Purchase

2. SIMPLICITY

When thinking about the user experience and the usability of your website, the best approach is to keep things as simple as possible. The following are some ways that simplicity can be achieved through design.

Colour

Color has the ability to convey meaning and stimulate a variety of feelings and emotions in people. You will have the ability to impact the way in which your customers behave towards your brand if you are successful in locating a color palette that is congruent with your brand. Maintain a color selection that is comprised of fewer than 5 different hues. The use of colors that complement one another is quite effective. The user will have a positive experience and increased customer engagement when pleasing color combinations are used.

Type

Your website’s typography is an essential component of its design and functionality. It draws attention to itself while also functioning as a visual depiction of the brand voice. The website should utilize no more than three distinct fonts total, and the typefaces used should be easily readable.

Imagery

Imagery refers to any and all visual components that are utilized throughout communications. This encompasses the various forms of graphics as well as still photography, illustration, and video. The company’s brand personality should be embodied in all of the images, and it should be expressive, capturing the essence of the business and serving as a representation of that. The majority of the first information that we take in on websites is visual, and as a first impression, it is crucial to employ high-quality photos to build an impression of professionalism and credibility in the eyes of the visitors.

3. NAVIGATION

On websites, the navigation system is the wayfinding system that allows visitors to engage with the site and discover what they are looking for. The navigation of a website is essential to maintaining visitors. If the navigation on the website is difficult to understand, users will abandon the site and look elsewhere for the information they require. The navigation should be kept as straightforward, understandable, and uniform as possible across all pages.

4. F-SHAPED PATTERN READING

The F-pattern is the most prevalent way that website users skim the text that is presented to them on the page. Eye-tracking research has shown that the majority of what individuals perceive is concentrated in the upper left and upper right corners of the screen. The F-shaped layout is a representation of the natural reading pattern that we have in the West (left to right and top to bottom). A website that has been efficiently created will fit with the natural pattern of scanning the page that is used by the reader.

5. VISUAL HIERARCHY

The arrangement of elements in a composition in the order of their significance is known as visual hierarchy. This can be accomplished by the use of size, color, images, contrast, typography, white space, texture, or style. The establishment of a focal point is one of the most significant tasks of visual hierarchy since it demonstrates to visitors where the most relevant information is located.

6. CONTENT

Both the site’s design and its content need to be of high quality for it to be considered successful. The use of persuasive language and interesting content can attract and influence visitors, ultimately leading to the conversion of those visitors into customers.

7. GRID BASED LAYOUT

Grids lend a hand in structuring your design and assisting in the organization of your information. The grid provides assistance in aligning objects on the page and maintaining the page’s cleanliness. A grid-based style organizes the information of the website into a neat and rigorous grid structure with columns, sections that line up and seem balanced, and sections that enforce order. The end result is a website that is both visually beautiful and functional.

8. LOAD TIME

Visitors who are forced to wait for a website to load will leave. A little less than half of people who visit a website have the expectation that it will load quickly two seconds or less, and if it takes more than three seconds, there is a chance that they will leave the website. If you optimize the sizes of your images, your website will load much more quickly.

9. ACCESSIBLE VIA MOBILE DEVICES

Web browsing on mobile phones and other portable devices is becoming increasingly popular. It is essential to give some thought to developing a responsive layout for your website, which allows the site to adapt its appearance to different screen sizes.

Hamer Equine Assisted Learning: Using Horses In Recovery To Find HealingHamer Equine Assisted Learning: Using Horses In Recovery To Find Healing

August 9, 2022| admin| 0 Comment| 10:19 am

We are fortunate to live in a time when alternative treatment modalities are developing and employing animals as a form of therapy is more widespread than ever before, particularly for the treatment of people with substance use and mental health disorders. Equine Therapy, often known as Equine Psychotherapy, is one specialized technique being employed by addiction treatment facilities. When a someone is actively abusing substances, they frequently start to feel hopeless, dreadful, and unworthy. Victoria uses horses for therapy permits these sentiments to come to the surface, people start to feel a sense of closeness, confidence, and focus rather than being trapped by negative emotions. In addition, studies on the advantages of this experiential therapeutic approach have shown that it can aid in lowering anxiety, controlling urges, and forging a good identity.

What does place during horse therapy?

Horses are remarkably adept at detecting social cues and emotional demands in humans. Patients engage with horses in equine-assisted therapy to address their physical, emotional, and risky behaviors, such as addiction, that affect their health and general well-being. Horses are kind animals, but they can also be daunting to some people, therefore most sessions tend to be more focused on calming tasks like brushing, feeding, and other repetitive contact with the animals. These horses are carefully trained therapy animals; as a result, they are docile and receptive, making it safer and simpler for each patient to interact with the animal. Healing on an emotional and physical level frequently occurs as the person develops a bond with the horse. This approach has been employed as a successful therapy strategy for people overcoming addiction, mental health problems, developmental difficulties, and trauma, to mention a few.

The Advantages of Equine Therapy

“The idea that horses might be beneficial or healing to persons dealing with mental health concerns is founded on the premise that horses are extraordinarily sensitive to changes in the human being,” says the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (as a predatory creature). Because of their sensitivity, horses respond to people in a variety of ways depending on how they are feeling. ”

By acting as a sort of barometer, working with a horse can give both the client and the therapist insight into the client’s emotions and variations within those moods. The horse will act and react as though the person who is participating in the session is anxious. The horse’s actions will change if the customer can lessen their own nervousness. This action offers the client and the therapist the chance to learn and develop their skills.

Benefits of Horse-Assisted Therapy for Recovery in Particular

Particularly when it comes to addiction rehabilitation, working with horses can bring up feelings that the client may or may not be consciously aware they are experiencing. This discussion enables the therapist to comprehend the precise demands, feelings, and objectives that the patient needs to be treated for. Following are some specific advantages equine therapy can provide to persons going through recovery:

increasing the sense of emotional and social support, giving them the impression that they can finally rely on others for assistance when needed. A person who is actively abusing substances feels terribly alone and frequently loses their capacity to trust people. Working with horses can help the client regain their sense of trust and social support by providing a forgiving environment.

encouraging openness between the client and the therapist When someone starts standard therapy for drug or alcohol abuse, they are frequently still in a defensive posture. Most persons who have a history of addiction spend a lot of time lying, hiding the truth, and deceiving others in order to support their habit. The patient’s guard ultimately drops during horse therapy, allowing for openness and aiding the therapist in understanding the patient’s genuine emotions and mental state.

acquiring an optimistic mindset and a self-care awareness. The client’s sense of self-worth and control is increased by the skill-building tasks during an equine therapy session, but it also fosters optimism, group understanding, and positivity in each person. The client begins to understand the need of self-care while grooming or feeding the horse, and perhaps will apply these lessons to their own lives.

Setting boundaries and raising physical awareness People who are actively addicted lose their capacity for both emotional and bodily feeling since substance abuse numbs all facets of existence. The patient regains their ability to feel and develops a greater awareness of their physical body throughout horse therapy. As they physically interact with the horse, their balance and posture alter, and they start to stand a bit taller. Horses also possess great instincts and have a rapid sense of change. Clients are made aware of the need to respect specific boundaries when interacting with these delicate animals as a result of this behavior. In order to achieve a higher level of healing, the client must apply this lesson to their own lives, re-establishing boundaries with others.

Disorders that co-occur and equine therapy

Equine-assisted therapy is a well-established method of treating mental health issues. This type of experiential therapy has a great deal of promise as a useful approach for managing co-occurring disorders. To improve their chances of full recovery, individuals must treat any co-occurring mental health conditions as they fight through their substance use disorder or addiction. For you to effectively achieve sobriety, equine therapy in Victoria will enable you to address these mental health issues in addition to your substance use problem or addiction.

In Hamer Equine Assisted Learning , (HEAL) supports alternative methods while treating addiction because we understand that recovery is a lifetime journey of growth and self-discovery. We offer horseback riding experiences that are both physically and mentally secure. We provide individuals the chance to examine any problems they may be having or just to enjoy being around the horses. The most crucial part of treating co-occurring illnesses is assisting the patient in discovering non-drug based coping mechanisms for mental health concerns. Each person’s needs are taken into account when designing sessions. We will take the time to get to know you and learn what you hope to accomplish so that we can carry out your objectives. Based on your objectives, we will assist you in determining the length and number of sessions. Please phone 0411 549562 for further details, or visit our website.

Top Ten Guidelines for Accessibility on Your WebsiteTop Ten Guidelines for Accessibility on Your Website

July 25, 2022| admin| 0 Comment| 2:12 pm

1. Select an accessible content management system.

To assist you in building your website, there are numerous content management systems available. However, there are a variety of alternative possibilities as well. Common examples are Drupal and WordPress.

When a CMS that meets your needs has been selected, be careful to pick an accessible theme or design. For accessibility-related advice and pointers on producing content and layouts that are accessible for that theme, refer to the theme’s documentation. When picking out widgets, plugins, or modules, be sure to adhere to the same rules.

Make sure that components like editing toolbars and video players allow the creation of accessible content. For instance, the editing toolbars should have options for accessible tables and headings, and the closed captioning feature for video players should be available.

2. Organize your content’s structure with headings by using them correctly.

Heading structure can be used to browse material by screen reader users. Your website’s content will be properly arranged and simple for screen readers to understand if headings (h1>, h2>, etc.) are used effectively and strategically.

To separate presentation from structure, use CSS to follow the proper heading sequence (Cascading Style Sheets). Use a new CSS class to style your text rather of choosing a header solely based on how it appears on the screen (which may confuse users of screen readers).

Examples of headings that are used properly are:

The page’s headline should be in h1> format. Except for the website title and the titles of individual pages, don’t use a “h1” tag for anything else.
The structure of your content can be indicated and organized with headings.
Avoid moving up or down in the heading hierarchy (for example, from a h1 to a h3) since screen reader users might think there isn’t any text.

3. Add appropriate alt text to all of your image files.

Screen reader users should be able to understand the message that is being sent by the use of images on the page if alt text is provided for the images. For informational visuals, this is especially crucial (such as infographics). If a picture already has text in it, that text should be included in the alt text as well. When writing the alt text, the wording should describe the message you want to express through that image.

If there is simply an image in a link, the screen reader will read the file name if no alt text is present. Images that are used as links should always include alt text.

4. Make sure the names of your links are original and informative.

When incorporating links in your material, make sure the wording accurately indicates where the link will take the user. “Click here” is unhelpful for screen reader users and is not regarded as descriptive language.

Given that screen reader users frequently scan the links list by the initial letter, the link’s most distinctive content should be displayed first.

As an illustration, suppose you are directing site visitors to a page titled “About Us”:

Make an effort to avoid saying, “Click here to read about our company.”
Stating “Read About Us to discover more about our organization” in its place

5. Use color sparingly,

Approximately 8% of people suffer with red-green color deficiency, the most prevalent type. These people won’t grasp your message if you only use these colors (particularly to denote required fields in a form).

When utilized to distinguish and arrange your content, color has significant advantages for other disability-related groups, notably users with learning difficulties.

6. Designing shapes with accessibility in mind

The screen reader user does not have the same indications at their disposal as the sighted user when form fields are not labeled correctly. You might not be able to tell what kind of information should be entered into a form area.

Take into account using fieldsets to assemble related or comparable fields. The category “Personal Information” could have fields like “Full Name” and “Date of Birth,” for instance. By providing the context that can be missed while filling out the form, this sort of form organization might assist a screen reader user in keeping track of their progress.

If a form field has to be filled out, it needs to be identified as such and set up to notify screen reader users when it is needed. Asterisks, which some screen readers can not speak, are frequently used to indicate that a field is necessary. Asterisks (or comparable visual cues) should still be utilized for blind users, those with learning difficulties, and those who speak English as a second language. By adding ARIA required=”true” for mandatory fields and ARIA required=”false” for optional fields, you may tell a screen reader if a field is needed or not. The user must be informed after submitting the form whether it was received and whether there were any mistakes. Once the user has submitted the form, we advise include any mistake numbers in the page title so they are obvious to the user. If a user submits a form with mistakes, the user ought to be directed to a submission page that details the errors and offers a simple path to them.

Last but not least, CAPTCHA is difficult to use and is not a good option for submission validation. To prevent form submissions from spam, WebAIM has a handy list of accessible alternatives to CAPTCHA (link is external).

7. Use tables for tabular data, not for layout,

Screen reader users experience more verbosity when using tables for page layout. When a screen reader comes across a table, it alerts the user that there is a table with “x” number of rows and columns, which detracts from the text. It’s also possible that the reader will read the contents out of sequence from how they see them on the page. Use CSS for presentation, not a table, to build a website’s layout.

8. Make sure all content is logically accessible using only the keyboard.

It’s possible that those with mobility issues, such as those who have sustained repeated stress injuries, won’t be able to operate a mouse or trackpad. By pushing the “tab” or “arrow” keys on a keyboard, or by using other input methods such a tongue stick or a single switch, these users can access content. To enable keyboard-only visitors to logically navigate through the site’s information, the tab order should therefore correspond to the visual order. Long pages with a lot of content should be divided up with anchor links (jump lists), enabling keyboard-only users to skip to relevant sections of the page without having to wade through other content.

9. Use landmarks and roles from ARIA (but only when necessary).

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a sophisticated, potent technical standard for incorporating accessibility information into aspects that aren’t already inherently accessible. When native HTML components are offered, you ought to always use them. The first rule of ARIA is to never use it, so keep that in mind. Many HTML5 features that once required ARIA attributes are now supported by the standard.

Examples include:

Replace the ARIA role of button with the standard HTML button tag.
Avoid using aria-label or arial-labeledby in favor of the HTML label tag.
Replace the ARIA role of navigation with the HTML 5 nav tag.

The same way that you add classes to HTML to enable the loading of CSS attributes, ARIA attributes can be introduced to your HTML.

The majority of sophisticated widgets cannot be made accessible by just adding ARIA attributes, therefore take note of this. Solely users of assistive technology are impacted by ARIA; users who only use their keyboard are unaffected (see tip #8). Still, you need to use Javascript to build up your communications and actions.

The following are examples of proper ARIA usage:

Adding alerts to inform screenreader users when dynamic page changes, like stock tickers and search filters, take place
accessibility for screenreader users of intricate, interactive widgets like date pickers.

10. Make available dynamic material

Screen readers might not be informed when material is updated dynamically (i.e., without reloading the page). In-page updates, popups, lightboxes, screen overlays, and modal dialogs are all examples of this. Users who only use a keyboard risk getting stuck in page overlays. Users with magnifying software can be focusing on the incorrect part of the page when using their software.

The accessibility of these features is simple. There are front-end development frameworks that expressly enable accessibility as well as ARIA roles and alerts as alternatives.

Make sure that any video players you employ can be operated with a keyboard and that they don’t auto-play (with incongruous sound). Furthermore, every video must offer the option of closed captioning and transcripts for hard of hearing viewers.

Markustudio a freelance web designer in Manchester providing web design, logo branding, print, SEO and digital design services. If you are interested in any help when it comes Web Design & Development. Feel free to Contact Us.

13 Simple Responsive Web Design Tricks & Tips13 Simple Responsive Web Design Tricks & Tips

June 24, 2022| admin| 0 Comment| 8:40 am

Nowadays, responsive web design is essential. Your company cannot afford to maintain a non-responsive website given the growing number of individuals who use their mobile devices to research products before making purchases and to stay up to date on the latest news.

Additionally, Google’s preference for mobile-responsive websites in their search algorithm makes it clear that responsive design is here to stay. The advice for responsive web design offered in this article will assist you in creating a visually appealing and functional website if you’re just getting your site up and running. Additionally, the same advice is helpful if you’re rebuilding an already-existing website.

How to Use Responsive Website Design

You may ensure that your website is responsive and mobile-friendly by using the following design recommendations for mobile websites. Some of our top suggestions for responsive web design are listed below:

1. Understand how your customers use mobile

Recognize that users will interact with webpages differently on desktop computers compared to mobile devices. To determine why users are accessing your website using a mobile device and which pages and aspects they access the most, think about conducting a survey of your website visitors or employing analytics. Your understanding of which pages and other components of your website should be easily accessible on smaller displays will be aided by the information provided.

For instance, it would be a wise decision to ensure that your Contact page appears on mobile navigation if someone were to quickly search your website for your contact information.

2. First, plan your design.

Planning the layout beforehand will help while developing your website. In reality, before beginning the coding portion, the majority of web designers first create the website’s visual design and wireframe. It will be simpler for you or your designer to alter the template and incorporate it smoothly with your brand, which will help you get the exact appearance and feel that you desire.

Make sure to develop numerous website prototypes and test them on various screen sizes to ensure the final design will be responsive. The following are a few tools you may use to make responsive prototypes:

Adobe Edge Reflow With the aid of Adobe’s tool, you can visually design a responsive website by turning Photoshop files into HTML and CSS and modifying the design using mobile breakpoints.

— InVision. Your website can include interactive prototypes thanks to InVision. With a link, users may test the menus, buttons, scrolling, and more and provide comments. It’s an effective tool for seeing how your website would operate in various scenarios.

– Wirefy. This tool is useful if you want to base your design first on your content. You may utilize a responsive grid and make a wireframe for your website without having to manually compute widths and percentages.

3. Use navigational caution

The most crucial element of every website is the navigation. It acts as a guide for your visitors and makes it simple for them to navigate to different pages on your website. Your navigation will typically include prominent connections to all the key pages on the desktop versions of your site. On mobile devices, it is customary to utilize a hamburger icon and conceal the links inside of it.

This isn’t always the ideal strategy, though, as some users could forget that they have to click the icon to expose the menu and end up dissatisfied because they can’t access other pages. It would be preferable to use the hamburger menu for the remaining links while keeping the most crucial menu items accessible on all screen sizes. To make navigating easier, you can add connections to other sites in the text on your homepage.

4. Improve Images

The design of your website heavily relies on images. They can assist you in establishing an emotional connection with your visitors and help them picture the goods they want to purchase. Because of this, it’s critical that your photographs are optimized for the web.

This indicates that the photos need to be saved in the proper format, such as JPG for scenic or photographic images and PNG-8 for icons and logos that need a transparent backdrop. Additionally, you should use a tool like Tinyjpg to decrease the picture size and think about choosing images that are suited for different mobile breakpoints to lessen scaling and bandwidth difficulties.

5. Think about a mobile-first strategy

A different strategy for responsive design is to first create a mobile version of your website. This gives you a chance to preview how the graphics, text, logos, and other components will appear on smaller displays. If they appear correctly, you shouldn’t have any trouble scaling your design for larger screens.

6. Become familiar with media queries

When CSS was first proposed, media queries were first conceptualized, but they weren’t implemented until browsers gave them official support in 2012. Media queries’ primary use is to enable you to adapt your website’s layout to different screen widths.

The content will react differently on particular devices when media queries are used. In a nutshell, a media query will determine the resolution, width, and orientation of the device and show the proper CSS rules.

7. Include Keyboard Triggers in Forms

Of course, your website’s forms should adjust to the width and height of the screen. You may go one step further, though, and make sure that the input areas activate the appropriate kind of keyboard. You can achieve this quickly by adding an input element to your form fields.

Name, email, address, and other text-input fields should be triggered by a text keyboard, whereas any input field requiring a number should be triggered by a numerical keyboard. This enhances both your website’s overall mobile friendliness and user experience.

8. Make Sure Buttons Are Simple to Click on Smaller Screens

Don’t forget to give the buttons on your website particular consideration. Since screen space is so limited, it’s simple to fall into the trap of making your buttons smaller so they will fit on the screen. But it also makes it more difficult to click on them.

Make sure your buttons are simple to identify:

– Use color to distinguish them from the other text on the page.

– The button should be represented by a rectangle or a circle.

If your button is large, you might want to use padding to extend the clickable area. For accessibility purposes, you can also adhere to the Material Design standard and make sure your buttons are 36dp tall. (1dp = 1px).

9. Boost Typography

You should make sure that the text is readable on smaller displays when using text. 16px or 1em is a reasonable size for body material; beyond that, size your headings appropriately. You should also increase the line height of your text to 1.5 em to give your paragraph lines adequate space to breathe.

Use a legible font as another piece of advice for designing mobile websites. For body copy or menu items, stay away from decorative or script fonts because they’re difficult to read, especially on smaller displays.

10. Utilize microinteractions

Utilizing microinteractions is one of the main trends progressively permeating web design. For the bulk of corporate websites in the past, animations and interactive features would have been viewed as “nice to haves.” The usage of animations has, however, truly shot to the forefront as designers have grown hyper-focused on user experience, particularly in forms.

Instead of restarting the page—which can increase your bandwidth usage—they give visitors rapid feedback, which is especially helpful on mobile devices.

11. Implement frameworks

If you incorporate a responsive framework into your workflow, you can save a ton of time while building a responsive website. If you want to create straightforward, static websites, an HTML template using a framework like Bootstrap is a good place to start.

If you want to create a more complicated website and incorporate blogging into your marketing approach, you may also benefit from readymade responsive WordPress themes. If you want to do everything yourself but aren’t an experienced programmer, frameworks like these are an excellent option.

12. Adhere to minimalist design

The popularity of minimalist design has increased over the past several years, and for good reason. It clears out all the clutter, helps visitors concentrate on your content more easily, which increases conversion rates, and speeds up the loading time of your website by utilizing less elements. It also works well with responsive web design since it can be used to draw attention to your calls to action and emphasize crucial portions of your website.

13. Verify That Your Share Buttons Aren’t Preventing Access to Your Content

Including share buttons on your website can increase traffic and help your content become more visible. However, sharing buttons frequently hide your material, making it difficult to view on mobile devices. Check the share buttons on a mobile device to see if they scale well, or you might want to disable them on screens smaller than 768 pixels.

These Responsive Web Design Tricks and Tips Will Help You Advance

Making a responsive web design is now required. A requirement, really. Responsive web design makes it simpler for everyone to access your site without any problems and can have an effect on your brand’s reputation and conversion rates. You can make your company website look fantastic on any device your visitors use while also ensuring they have a pleasant user experience by using the responsive web design tips and tactics mentioned above.

Markustudio is a Manchester-based graphic and web design studio that specializes in site design, logo branding, print design, and digital design. We love working with successful small businesses and big brands across the UK as a web design firm. If you are interested in any help when it comes Web Design & Development. Feel free to Contact Us.