While viewing our site you may have read our statement. "Making the Internet User Friendly". This task sounds bold, almost cocky and unattainable. However we feel it is none of those things. This statement alone sets in motion a precedence, a goal, and a positive attitude that we place on high priority while developing each an every website including yours.

How do we plan on achieving this goal? We feel there is only one way: One website at a time.

We believe that if we can create a website that is simple and user friendly, for not only you but your client as well. We will then have put this goal one step closer to arms reach. There are a few major reasons websites get rated both good, bad and everything in between. We have listed them below, along with some of our thoughts and opinions on these issues:

There are many languages that require the end users computer to be configured a certain way to allow for these types of scripts to work. They are called action scripts, or client-side scripting. You have most likely been exposed to these sorts of scripts throughout your surfing of the internet. You have on this very website, things such as roll over images, flash movies, and pull down menus. This type of script usually makes the users experience seem more user friendly but with every pro there is always a con.

If a user's computer has not been configured to take advantage of these scripts, they will not be able to view the content the way the webmaster has intended them to causing them to possible miss whole sections of a website. Unfortunately these scripts must be used in order to achieve a certain look or feel of a design; however, there is a trade off. Only people who have action scripting enabled can view these features.

At Livewire we too make use of these tools yet at the same time we develop our sites by keeping things such as navigation redundant. For example our menu at the top of the page is a Flash script. For those who have Flash Player installed. They can make use of this menu. For those who don't we have provided the same menu at the footer of each page so they can still gain access to our entire site.

If a design relies heavily on one of these scripts then we will incorporate a detection routine to detect if the user is able to make use of these features. If not we will redirect them to a version of the site that does not rely on these scripts at all. Generally this is not required, but we never leave this option out, it all depends on our client's needs and wants. For the most part we feel that good site design will rely more on the server taking on the majority of the workload, and relying very little on the client-side capabilities.

From a designer stand point when it comes to the website layout, this is most defiantly the biggest obstacle. Most people are not aware that a website that was designed on one major internet browser, such as, Microsoft's Internet Explorer may not function or look the same when view in Netscape Navigator. Certain Action Scripts may not work in one, but appear to work fine in another. To top it off, every time a new version of an Internet Browser is released, all the rules of the game change. This is one of the major reasons why most of our clients have asked us to rebuild their site. The previous designer was unaware of this issue. This common occurrence is also discovered by those who have had a colleague or friend build their webpage as opposed to a professional web developer.

When a Livewire Website is being designed, we are sure to design it for all the major Browser Platforms. This may make our task a little more challenging, but at Livewire we love to be challenged. We are sure to take the time to make sure your website is reachable to the largest audience of potential clients for you, and not just people who use Internet Explorer. And with the open source era on the rise this issue moves more to the top of the list on a daily basis due to the release of more and more Internet Browsers.

Forward compatibility and website expansion is often overlooked when websites are designed. This creates a ripple effect when it comes to problems down the road. Your company is not a static entity; it evolves, changes, and grows. Just like the Internet and its' technologies. So why should your website be static.

By making use of modular code and design, Livewire produces websites that are easy to update and alter in the future. Adding a technology and changing the look of your site at a later date is no longer a major process. Why rebuild a whole site when all you want to do is change the look of the theme? Or move an article from one page to another. These things should be simple and that's how we make them. Livewire plans ahead while designing your site. Taking into consideration your plans of future expansion, and making a few assumptions of our own based on past experience, allow a Livewire Website to be altered without affecting the integrity or overall look of your site.

Other than the content itself Site Navigation is the next most important feature a website has to offer. If Navigation is used in combination with Action Scripting and the above mentioned precautions are not keep in mind when developing this area of a website. The end users experience of the website will be a short one. This also falls true for search engines visiting your site to index it. If the layout of the navigation does not make sense to the end user then their visit will be a frustrating one.

Livewire Designs puts a lot of thought in their website navigation. When developing this area of a website we make this feature simple to understand without demanding attention and focus away from the content on the page. The goal is not to have a user click through the site in record time, because the buttons are daring them to. The goal is to make this feature noticeable and accessible enough to let the user call upon it when they are done viewing the page. We take pride in developing simple navigation systems that allow the visitor access to the entire site without forcing them to solve the site. Keeping in mind that this feature; however, necessary can either make or break a successful website.

Keeping the above concepts in mind when developing a website can change the outcome of a website from bad to good and good to outstanding. At Livewire Designs we feel that these are the major issues that can help make the Internet User Friendly. And when developing your website we don't just want the outcome to be good we want it to be outstanding.