Accessible Web Design: Why Is It So Important?
You want lots of people visiting your website, right? That means it’s got to be user-friendly! So, what can you do to make your website more accessible?
We’re a month in to 2023 now, so it’s time to ask: are you sticking to your new year’s resolutions?!
The start of a new year is one of those times when we inevitably start setting goals. What do we want to achieve in the next twelve months? What do we want to be celebrating when the year is over?
There’s a fine line to be drawn between realism and optimism when it comes to setting targets for the year ahead. That’s true for all of us as individuals (however much we might want that magical lottery win…), but it can often be doubly so when you’re setting goals for a business or organisation. There are all kinds of strings attached to each ambition we have.
Want more people coming through the doors of your museum, for example? Excellent. But how are you going to get them there? What budget do you have in place for all the work that’s needed to achieve that goal? Do you have volunteers or staff with the right skills to get it done, or do you need to bring in outside help?
Here at Little Bird HQ, we’re big fans of old fashioned pen and paper. The sheets get spread out on the desk and we write down everything we want to get done – be it that day, that week or even that year. Once the targets have been put to paper, they’re hung on the wall so we can’t help but see them and therefore – in theory – can’t help but stick to them.
Being such a small team really helps in our case. It’s easier to get everyone on board with a new goal when “everyone” could fit in an old-fashioned phone box, after all. For larger teams, taking time to ensure everyone is looking in the same direction, with the same aims, can be crucial.
So, get those pens and paper out, scribble on a whiteboard, have a full on bain-storming session. But however you go about setting your goals for the year ahead, make sure they’re enough to get everyone excited about reaching them – and ensure they are within your reach!
Setting a new goal is hugely exciting and it’s easy to get carried away. But just like in our non-work lives, we can also find that the sheen comes off sooner than expected (did you know that 80% of people who join a gym in January end up cancelling their membership within five months?!). So, how do you stay on track?
The “realistic” part of goal-setting definitely comes into play, here. If you’re running a small, very moderately successful shop and you decide your 2023 goal is to suddenly turn it into a chain of stores, turning over a profit of millions by the end of the year, you might be frustrated when things don’t exactly go to plan. Knowing the difference between a short-term goal and a long-term ambition is important. You may very well end up with an empire of megastores, but that might be more of a five to ten-year plan than a twelve-month target.
It’s also pretty important to know what you can do yourself and when you need to call in the experts. If you’re running a restaurant and decide to expand the premises, you’re unlikely to attempt building the extension yourself, by hand…
Similarly, if what you need in order to get people to know more about you and your brand is a website refresh and an active social media presence, it might be worth having a chat with the professionals. Remember that gym statistic? Well, we’ve seen similar with social media pages for everything from museums to CICs. They have their hearts in the right place, the content starts out strong, but before you know it, other things have just “gotten in the way” and you haven’t posted a tweet since 2019. Not necessarily the best look if someone’s searching online.
We know what you’re thinking – this sounds like a hard sell. Well, sure, we’d love to work with you to reach your goals this year – and the next! But we’re also aware of budgetary constraints and all the many other reasons you might not be ready to jump into a professional relationship with a creative design agency, just yet. So why not get in touch for an informal, no obligation chat? Whether it’s rebranding to help your organisation fit into a modern world, or blog content to help keep your website fresh and regularly updated, we’ll happily answer any questions you might have – and even give you a few tips – with absolutely no pressure, whatsoever.
Whatever your goals are, we’re on hand with advice to help you reach them. Let’s aim high together!
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