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An interesting conversation this week sparked me to justify to one of my students why file sizes still matter now that ‘most people’ have broadband access or at least the opportunity to get it. After all, he was developing a portfolio site for his graphic design and illustration and not an information page on a news portal. The argument in his head revolved squarely on the idea that large images with high file sizes are an integral part of what he does – optimising for the Web somehow steals from that ideal. Which I strongly disagree with by the way. Unfortunately the question is actually quite common so I thought the answer might belong on this weblog.

Everyone Doesn’t Have Broadband

My short answer is simply that not everyone has broadband. In fact if you look at the statistics even here then not only don’t they have broadband there are significant portions of our country – like probably most of it outside metropolitan areas – where you can’t rely on the user having anything above a basic modem. OK they can get a satellite dish but the expectation is getting a bit over the top when you’re thinking along the lines of installing dishes in the back yard as a prerequisite to viewing your web page! Available only on Internet Explorer 7 at screen resolutions greater than 1024 using Satellite Broadband Connection or greater. Awesome professionalism (tongue in cheek).

Not All Devices are Equal

Next I would point to the bandwidth problem for users of handheld devices. Extreme file sizes would severely impair their ability to view, or even to afford paying for the opportunity to view, these portfolio designs. There is a simple accessibility and usability issue underlying large file sizes that can’t be ignored. Not all devices are equal and you can’t assume anything about a user’s access, equipment or even their patience.

Optimisation is an Essential Web Skill

My next argument is why? What makes an image which can only be displayed at a certain resolution on users screens not worth optimising for the web?

Failing to optimise, and failing to understand why optimisation is important, would likely preclude anyone bothering to hire an illustrator for web related work in the first place. Especially if they were selling themselves into this medium with an authority of having underlying web related skillsets. Image optimisation is an essential skill of the trade.

The Reasons for Optimisation Accumulate

There are a growing number of reasons why you can’t expect the user to put up with larger file sizes – user drop out rates rise exponentially for every second they wait for content, not all geographical areas of planet earth do support super fast broadband access, and many people are too poor to afford the services even if available. Its just ridiculous to expect that users have broadband, have time to wait for downloads, or even have the desire to do so in the context of professional development. Our skills revolve around squeezing the best out of a limited but demanding medium. Thus image optimisation.

A Scenario About the Real Portfolio User

So I asked the student who he perceived to be the user of his portfolio? Because the user of it would be me. When you think about it you’ll have to agree its not his buddies or his girlfriend but me (and maybe you) who he wants to market his skills toward.

In a small scenario I could be in a small to medium business which does not have broadband access either by geography or because its not on their radar yet. The expectation that most people have broadband then becomes critically flawed because as the user my interest in the portfolio is about potentially considering a job offer. This shows how a bad decision in the design stage (assumption that I will have broadband access) was critically flawed.

In the scenario I am standing at the client’s computer accessed on a 56K modem dial up account and in my hand is a piece of paper with a list of three illustrators or graphic artists I believe might be right for the job. These are my professional recommendations naming who I might like to work with on the client’s project. In a word of mouth industry it is a huge feat to make it onto those lists for a freelancer so don’t underestimate the gravity of my statements.

The expectation of most users is about 6 seconds. Ideally most pages should be under 60K if possible and considering I am aware its a graphics oriented site I’ll give it a bit more. But realise this – I use the web a lot so I’m less patient than perhaps someone less pissed off from waiting for page loads all day. I’m also less impressed by superflous pretty on your site and less interested in figuring stuff out. In short I’m your usability nightmare – overeducated and undermotivated.

I put in the illustrator’s website address… 6 seconds… 10 seconds… (I’m going)… 12 seconds… and I’m probably on the second choice illustrator’s site. Someone else is going to be walking away with the project. If the page in question was 700 Kilobytes simply because the graphic you wanted to show me was WOW I would never know the difference. I’m so out of there you never knew the difference. Only you stay much poorer!

The experience not only embarrasses me in front of the client and reflects on my own professionalism (meaning I won’t recommend you a second time ever) but also sends a word of mouth message directly to the client.

This scenario is based on some truth by the way. Because ultimately I’m the potential market of that portfolio. Me. Or any other developer who might outsource critical elements to a freelancer. When you think about it there’s an obviousness that shouldn’t have been overlooked there, too.

Simply sitting down and thinking about the real users you are marketing towards, as well as finding out about the technologies and limitations involved in what we do, would have been invaluable early in the design process. A good design not only has aesthetic beauty but also works functionally. Form without function is not good design.

The key people you are marketing to with a portfolio are not those you meet on MySpace or your college peers. It really comes down to who is going to make you money? Market your portfolio to the right audience the first time appropriately.

Nobody is going to hire Picasso to make a 900 Kilobyte extravaganza in red that nobody can buy things on because it won’t load.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2007 at 2:32 pm and is filed under accessibility, business, design, rants, usability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.