"Explain to them how much more money they can make..." Just how much can they make? Where's the proof? That's what they always ask and that's what we can't answer. There are no plausible case studies to support this. It's pure conjecture. Yes I do know about the Legal & General case study but so many factors are involved that it is impossible to quantify the benefit deriving from the improved accessibility or standards compliance. They were also starting from a very poor base.
And they don't necessarily want everyone to view their website. Marketers specialise in segmentation, meaning that they want to present the best value proposition for their target market. Their target market is rarely everyone, and for some products it may be a very narrow demographic. We're asking them to risk losing some of what they already have in return for an unquantifiable benefit. By contrast, we have nothing to lose. Is it any wonder they are sceptical? Steve ________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Frank Palinkas Sent: 15 August 2007 12:14 To: wsg@webstandardsgroup.org Subject: RE: [WSG] Usability & Accessibility Over Design? Hi, IMHO I would like to add one important factor to this. Money. >From my experience, regardless of how "pretty", "wow", etc., a client wants their site to be, what they're really saying to you is that they need it to produce a load of money for them. Keep that foremost in mind when design decisions are being made. An accessible, standards-based, semantic, and fully usable website is worth its weight in gold. Ask the client how many users he wants coming in the virtual front door and making a purchase. They'll probably say everyone. However, they don't think of the multitudes of physically challenged/disabled users also looking for their products. Guide them in this direction. Explain to them how much more money they can make by establishing an all-user friendly storefront. Boring? Last time I checked, money wasn't boring. If that doesn't work, then politely wish them a good day and congratulations on eventually becoming their own best customer. Kind regards, Frank ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *******************************************************************
