20 Feb, 2014
"The Law is hard, but it is the Law" - Cassandra Clare, City of Glass
If there was no law and order in the universe, there would be chaos and those less advantaged would be stomped over and left behind. That one thing that differentiates our society or the digital world from the jungle is the set of laws and ethical guidelines. Hence it is very important to consider legal and ethical issues before setting up a website. Following are some guidelines a business must adhere to before working on the web design and content.
Web accessibility initiative sets guidelines for all web designers to consider before setting up a website. These guidelines make a website accessible to several users, providing visual and audio alternative for the disabled. You don’t want to appear insensitive and taint your business reputation. Furthermore one might also go into a loss by annoying customers who could have made a huge purchase or may have been a profitable long term client.
One should provide alternatives like adding descriptions to imagery, and show audio and video transcripts.
Source: http://www.iteracy.com/resources/build-a-better-website/wai-guidelines/
All materials on a website are copyrighted (property of the owner of that website) unless stated otherwise. One should check for permission to use those materials (permission is usually stated on the site). Users are equally responsible as well to report any bogus website or a website that abuses copyright laws.
Other ethical issues that may arise concern graphic designers not willing to associate themselves with that business, depending on the content of the business. Would a graphic designer design an ad campaign for a website that supports pornography or advertise abortion? These campaigns may not have any legal implications but then again, a web designer prepares it with the dos and don’ts of what he is not going to associate himself/herself with.
4M Designers keep in mind the legal and ethical issues, not only design a website that provides your viewers a unique user experience, but will also make sure it is reachable to all your viewers, thus establishing your business as not only profitable but also principled.