Professional Web Design: Techniques and Templates, Fourth Edition

chapter 2
Designing for the
Past, Present,
and Future
A common struggle for a Web designer is designing for the largest audience
possible without sacrificing the desired graphical and functional aspects that
might be preferred. Since the 1990s, and probably earlier, this struggle has been a
common issue with designers; unfortunately, it will continue to be an issue as
long as newer technology and design methods are introduced.
While a designer might want to take advantage of the latest technology, there
should also be concern that the audience will think usability implications were
not taken into consideration if newer technology is employed that is not fully
supported by all hardware and/or software. When designing for the past, present,
and future, a professional should design for the needs of the site. When creating
sites for the largest possible audience, one should become resolved to the fact
that it is not always possible to use the latest technology in most cases. The
designer must focus on making the best use of the most practical technology that
is available. Fortunately, as the Web industry has progressed since the 1990s, it is
no longer difficult to build highly usable, fast, graphical sites with existing
technology.
Feeling Browser Pains
As previously discussed, the issue of various browser platforms continues to be,
and will continue to be, an issue for Web designers. In the 1990s, a Web designer
needed to decide whether to design for a graphical browser, such as Mosaic or
Netscape, or a text browser, such as Lynx. As users slowly updated their hardware
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