The Stairwell

WEB SITE DESIGN
Q: Can the fonts on our web site be scalable, without having to change the "setting" in the browser?
A: Yes. In most cases web sites should be designed with scalability built into the stylesheet. There are several ways to do this, depending on what level of "compliance" a company requires for it's web viewing audience.

Q: Can the "graphic" text be replaced on our web site with stylesheets?
A: In many cases, yes. With stylesheets, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks for text. However, if a very specialized font is needed (i.e. a corporate font like Copperplate Gothic) then graphical text is usually the only way to insure it is viewed consistently. In short, use stylesheets and "live" text as much as possible to support your general audience, and use graphical text for guaranteed appearance.

Fortunately, there are many new technologies that are closer to bringing true font integration into web sites, eminating from bigguns' like Microsoft, Apple and Adobe to individuals like Shaun Inman and Joe Clark who have innovated and pushed a CSS approach called "Image Replacement" forward as a method of displaying fonts in sites.

Q: How do we know if our web site is "standards compliant" or "accessible"?
A: There are tests at the W3 (world wide web consortium) to validate your web pages and stylesheets. The tests are all on one handy page, called the QA Toolbox.

BRANDING
Q: How can we be sure different groups (and often locations) will understand and adhere to our brand?
A: A brand extranet is one of the most useful tools a company can have, and they're surprisingly inexpensive. The extranet is usually a password-protected web site that is shared with specific audiences (designers, general employees, partners, press, and sometimes the public). The mini-sites can contain just about any type of file from EPS logos and fonts to Powerpoint templates and photos. And most importantly, they instill a strong sense of brand just by their very existence - it gives everyone a place to see, feel, touch and interact with your brand. And if the site is well designed and has a good search tool, it will further the positive brand experience with everyone who does visit.

SEARCH
Q: Can you help us with search within our web site?
A: There are three core areas to review when looking at internal search results.

First, a web site will perform best with your search engine when it is developed using a truly modular approach. This is achieved when content is separate from HTML and code, allowing the search engine to only sort through the content. content management tools and an accessible, stylesheet-based interface.

Second, depending on the size of your organization, there are several different options of search hardware/software that might best suit you. The most popular hardware-based search engines are the Google Search Applianceswhich can crunch tons of info quickly for either small or large businesses. Other great options can be found on the software side with Apache's Lucene , a full-featured open-source search engine.

Third, search results should be tuned so they are meaningful and relational. The best approach is to first review and analyze existing search results for strengths/weaknesses. Once known, a search engine can be greatly enhanced by simply connecting key search phrases with synonyms and related phrases. This sounds like a mountain of work, but it actually follows the 80/20 rule - on average, the top 20% of search terms account for 80% of searches. So make those top search phases as intelligent as possible! As an aside, we recommend content writers handle the bulk of this work, with the aid of a web designer for help with design, usability and objectivity.