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Page Index:
Who is Your Target Audience?
An important question when posting a Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc. document online is
"Who is your target audience?"
A. Focused Group of People
If you have a very focused group of people, such as your 30 staff members, then you usually know the capabilities of their computers. If the staff member does not have the necessary software, you can often supply the software to them or help them find a free viewer.
B. Large Number and Wide Range of People
If the document you would like to post on the web will be viewed by a large group of anonymous visitors, then it is important to use a format that is already widely supported. Formats such as PowerPoint or Word are very common in the workplace, but many home users may not have the software or may not have the software properly installed.
HTML and Flash are widely supported formats for the web, and even advanced implementations of them should be supported by most modern web browsers. HTML is a basic format that allows for non-moving content. Flash allows for moving text, sound and video.
Critical Documents
If it is critical that a document must be read by every single person who visits your web site, it is very important to make sure you use the simplest and most widely supported format possible. The best format for this is plain HTML. Extra features such as JavaScript and complex stylesheets should be avoided.
Making the document as simple as possible when it is posted on a web page increases its chances of being readable by every person. This also makes it easier for screen readers and similar accessibility tools to understand the web page, and then communicate it to the visitor.
Overloading Visitor's Computers
If a lot of animation and moving text/graphics is included in a Flash, PowerPoint, etc. document, you increase the minimum requirements for the user's computer dramatically. It is very important to test the media on a range of computers before releasing it to the public.
Overly Fast or Slow Moving Graphics
With Flash and PowerPoint it is easy to create a flashy graphics hoping it will create a "WOW" effect on the viewer.
However, when
text and graphics move too quickly the viewer
may become confused and press their "Back" button or
close the window and try to find a web page
they can keep up with.
If the moving text and graphics are too slow, then the viewer may become bored and impatient, hitting their "Back" button or closing the window before they were able to view the critical information.
In a worst case scenario, which is not uncommon, you may lose the visitor entirely.
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