There was an interesting article on A List Apart recently about how design choices can drastically affect the way that users react to a site’s messaging. They took a page that contained a critical call to action and tested two variations on the design and minor copy tweaks.

The results were really surprising.

One of the designs that appeared to improve readability and usability actually resulted in a 53% drop in measured reaction. Wow!

When we build sites, we make so many decisions based on our past experience, training and hunches… This article suggests that “testing” is an important addition to that list.

“One way or another, it’s important to accept that none of us—neither designers nor writers—know what the “best” page design or copy is until we test”.

The article also mentions the importance of integration of writers within the process. I’d be surprised if many Web builders, designers, architects, etc. spend a lot of time—right from the beginning of the project—with their writers, ensuring a good fit of copy to display.

Good stuff from ALA.

I’ve been known to throw around a lot of technical terms in casual conversation … XHTML, CSS, W3C. I go on and on about how the separation of content from design and adherence to Web standards are The Right Thing To Do. Then I pause. I notice that my audience looks markedly disinterested. No quickened pulse. No zealous grin. Just glazed-over stares.

I’m coming to terms with the fact that most people — from my mom to my client’s CFO — are not going to be won over by The Beauty of the Code and the Joy of Web Standards. So instead, I’ve put together a list of five reasons why Web standards matter. They’ll make believers out of anyone.

1. You can re–use your content.

You worked hard to develop your content; now your content can work hard for you. Since the content and design of a standards–compliant site are separate, you can easily deploy that content to mediums other than a Web browser: mobile phones, kiosks, PDAs.

2. Everyone can read your site.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is a growing concern for organizations maintaining a Web presence, and accessibility is the buzzword. In a nutshell, section 508 says that access to your information by individuals with disabilities should be comparable to access by individuals without disabilities. Separating your content from its visual presentation makes your site more accessible by users of screen–readers or other assistive technologies.

3. Your site will be future-ready.

New browsers pop up every day, as do new technologies for displaying Web content. These new technologies are going to be built to work according to Web standards. The trick that worked last week — even though it looks great in Internet Explorer — probably isn’t going to work on that new cell phone that came out last week.

4. Your site will be search–friendly.

Did your pulse just pick up a bit? If you’re like many of my clients, the thorny topic of search engine optimization (SEO) is one that keeps you up at night. I’m here to tell you it’s time to stop worrying about how Google’s page-ranking might change next week. A standards-compliant site fares much better with the search engines than one that is not. In many ways, the same things that make your site accessible also make it easily digestible by search engine indexers. In the long run, standards compliancy will outpace the latest trick to boost search engine rankings. You’ll sleep better, to boot.

5. You’ll save money.

You knew I had a ringer, right? Sticking with Web standards is cheaper. Let me be clear here: when I speak of dollars, I speak of total cost of ownership. Up front, you may find building to Web standards to be a bit more costly than building plain–Jane HTML that will look just fine to the untrained eye. But your benefits from that upfront cost will start the first time you make a change, from correcting a typo to adding a new product or a service. When properly implemented, code that adheres to Web standards separates the business logic from design and the design from content, making it possible to change one without disrupting the others. The look of your site can be changed drastically without making a single change to your site’s content or any of the processes that deliver that content. Without standards compliancy, it is common to find the Web programming that delivers content to be littered with information describing how that content should look. Sticking to standards can make it simple to treat them and update them separately.

Where to start?

Make sure your site validates. Validation means that the code for your site confirms to the rules. The litmus test for validation is http://validator.w3.org/.

Your site should also be section 508 compliant. There are several tools for testing for letter–of–the–law compliancy; the most popular are http://www.contentquality.com/ and http://bobby.watchfire.com. Even if your site passes muster with these sites, the only surefire way to guarantee that your site is accessible is to use an accessibility consultant.

I’ve covered only a few of the many benefits of standards compliancy, but you’ll find the payoff is immediate. Talk to your Web development team. Make sure they care as much about standards as you do.