The 80 Percent Solution
For several years now, leading web designers and software interface designers have been following the 80% rule. Now, their clients are understanding why and demanding it be incorporated across all their online (and internal) application interfaces.
The 80 percent rule states that one should design software (web site interfaces) to meet the needs of at least 80 percent of one's users. When this is done, you are able to reach the largest part of your audience and deliver a message exactly as it's intended to be. It also can lead to less complicated design schemas which can become cumbersome to modify and unappealing or even irritating to use.
The way to achieve this is to carefully consider your audience, their industry communication standards, the type of site / interface they typically come across and use, their computers and their browser software. To design only for the most advanced users in your audience is an ineffective to get the most out of your design. Then, establish those parameters that meet your 80 percent audience target and design within them. This can mean extensive cross-platform testing and even having the types of machines your audience uses on hand for in-house testing.
I'll post to this article a few sources we've come across on the subject and that we've used in explaining the 80 percent solution design strategy here.