Defining the elements when designing digital tools
Responsible digital design refers to the integration of environmental aspects into the design and development process for websites or mobile applications. As a result, responsible website design is leaner and lighter, requires less space for hosting and data transfer, and is more functional and faster.
Objectives in creating more sustainable digital tools
What should you consider before creating better?
Analysing before deciding
Analysing before decidingAnalysing the content of a digital tool can help to improve its energy efficiency. Whether you’re creating a new web page or updating an existing one:
- Define the objective of your web page or mobile application;
- Think about the real needs of your target audience and avoid non-essential features;
- Calculate the carbon footprint of your digital tool to better identify areas for improvement.
Reformulating content
Reformulating contentReformulating the different types of content on a website or mobile application can considerably reduce their weight, avoid high data transfer rates and therefore limit their energy requirements.
To reformulate your types of content:
- Think mobile-first: design for the mobile version first, then adapt it to the desktop version;
- Restructure your written content by writing concisely and clearly;
- Rethink your graphic content, giving priority to small vector images that add real value;
- Review audiovisual content by limiting the use of videos and avoiding background images and auto-play videos.
Designing for everyone
Designing for everyoneYour tools must be designed with a view to accessibility and digital inclusion so that content can be reliably interpreted by different users.
To ensure the accessibility of your digital content:
- Check that the text is always legible;
- Make sure the wording is easy to understand;
- Keep line spacing at 1.5 or more;
- Separate the foreground content and the background content so that they can be distinguished;
- Avoid using sound or music in the background;
- Eliminate any content that could cause an epileptic seizure.
Ensuring data confidentiality
Ensuring data confidentialityIn 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in the European Union. Its aim is to ensure and protect people who use the Internet in Europe. To respect it:
- Make it easy to modify data management parameters;
- Include a plug-in allowing you to accept or refuse cookies and trackers;
- Limit analysis tools and data collection;
- Be transparent about how you manage the personal data you collect;
- Always ask for consent to collect personal data;
- Provide an option for deleting the personal data collected.
