You have a better laptop than your users

Published on Thursday, 20 May 2021.
At 192 words, this article should take about 1 minute to read.

I have a fairly decent laptop provided by my employer and I'm lucky enough to have a strong, reliable internet connection. Not everyone does. I'll say that again for the Bro's at the back:

Not all of your users will have a top-spec device and good wifi like you do.

In the past I've been guilty of assuming that everyone has a comparable experience to myself.

This leads to Bad Habits™️.

How to be better

Optimise for performance over appearance. Basically, don't make someone download 5Gb of images and 500Mb of JavaScript just to read your Terms & Conditions page.

Test on spotty wifi. Try using the site on a train or in a coffee shop or using the City's free wifi (if you have it where you are). This is how your user will experience your site - not via 100Gb Ethernet cables.

Test on budget devices - find a few common mid-priced devices (you could probably get them from eBay) and test on those instead.

If you're feeling extra spicy - make sure at least one of those devices has a cracked screen for a truly authentic browsing experience 😜

Fin

Cover image courtesy of Aidan Hancock.

onward-journeys module