web development

We offer the following website design and development services:

Professional website design for business and education
Web programming using PHP, ASP, Java and Javascript
E-commerce - shopping carts and secure payment
Content management systems - easily maintain and update your own site
Web consultancy - usability and accessibility
Search engine optimisation

We design and develop websites from a user's perspective and test our projects against usability guidelines.

What is usability?

Simply put, it means designing websites so that users can find what they are looking for easily and efficiently. If visitors to your site have difficulty finding the information they need, they'll go elsewhere. After all, there are plenty of other sites to choose from. So usability is not just about making the web a more user-friendly place, it makes good economic sense too.

A website designed in accordance with usability criteria might have the following minimum specification:

Clear, informative content
Well-signposted navigation
Text large enough to read comfortably - it should be possible to vary the text size via the browser controls
Good contrast between background and text colour - black text on a white background provides maximum contrast
A search facility

Usability recommendations, such as the above, are derived from research into how people actually use the web: the results are based on observed behaviour not theory or self-reporting. Our design and development process incorporates usability testing with "real" users.

If you would like to discuss your requirements for a new website or would like a usability assessment of your current site, please contact us.