Supported web technologies
Web technologies should:
be appropriate
- potentially inaccessible technologies such as Flash should not
be used for essential site features such as navigation;
- specialist technologies should be used for a specific purpose
(eg dynamic demonstration of a process) rather than for essentially
decorative purposes.
be accessible
- multimedia elements should not distract from or cause problems with
essential features such as site navigation, and should not be the main
feature on key pages;
- where multimedia or other potentially inaccessible web technologies
are used appropriate accessibility measures must be taken, such as long
descriptions, alternative text, etc.
wherever possible not require the user to adapt their interface
- users should not be required to install plug-ins, but where they are
this should be made clear with explanatory text and appropriate links
(eg links to PDF files should include text explaining that the link
points to a PDF, plus links to the Acrobat Reader download site and to
Adobe's accessibility guide; for an example, see the right-hand
panel of the undergraduate prospectus).
give the user control over interaction
- videos should not play automatically without a user's consent.
fail gracefully
- functionality offered by specialist technologies, such as delivery
of dynamic content, should be available through other means, such as
text description or static images;
- any error messages should be clear and not alarming or confusing.
be used with awareness of context
- high-profile student recruitment pages should have more exacting
standards than certain specialist pages (eg use of plug-in-dependent
interactive Flash animation may be appropriate for an online research
demonstration but not on a recruitment page; athough note that the other
principles outlined here should still apply - accessibility, graceful
failure, etc).
not expose potential security problems
The server environment is determined by ISS, and currently includes
- server software: Microsoft IIS;
- server-side coding: ASP.NET (preferred), with some legacy coding in
ASP;
- database interactivity: SQL server;
- server-side coding and database connectivity is developed by WaLT
and MIS and is not open to general web authors.