Web standards and guidelines

Online delivery considerations

Client software requirements

LTS online resources will be viewed from a number of different user agents or devices accessing the web service including, but not limited to:

  • web browsers such as Internet Explorer or Firefox
  • personal digital assistants
  • web TV
  • smart phones
  • internet kiosks
  • text-only browsers
  • assistive devices, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, Braille devices and so on.

Developers should be aware that online content resources must not rely on specific aspects of a system, such as a minimum screen width or the availability of JavaScript or a pointing device. All resources must be available to all users no matter what system or device they are using to access the resource.

This does not mean that the resource has to behave exactly the same on legacy browsers such as Internet Explorer 1.0. Accept that different people will get different experiences but do give a core experience to all users and enhance that experience for those who are able.

Find out more about browser support standards.

Restrictions on file size and bandwidth requirements

Online resources will often be used over limited bandwidth connections. For this reason, a restriction is placed on file size and bandwidth requirements for online content resources.

Loading time is defined as the time between a user request being made to the resource (for example, through a click or other command) and the user being able to interact actively and continuously with that resource.

Download screens

Whenever possible, content resources should take under 120 seconds to download on a 56 kilobits per second connection. If a resource is going to take more than 10 seconds to download, then a progress indicator needs to appear. The message should provide feedback to the user on how long the resource will take to download: for example, a progress bar or time (in minutes and seconds) showing clearly the remaining download time.

File size limits

Loading times can vary enormously according to different factors, so developers and content editors are reminded to be economical with file sizes. While the emergence of ubiquitous broadband connections in the UK and the world has mitigated this problem to some extent, data quantity considerations must still be made. This is because:

  • mobile data costs are currently high; optimising file sizes keeps costs for users as low as possible
  • broadband connections are increasingly being used for many applications; do not rely on a browser having sole access to a broadband connection
  • low bandwidth sites place a smaller load on web servers.

Persistence

Online resources may 'remember' a state during interaction with a learner. For example, a learning object may remember a learner’s name so that screen text can include the learner’s name.

For privacy reasons, a state must expire at the end of a browser session. A state must not be maintained across browser sessions.

Cookies can only be used for the duration of the browser session and must not be maintained past the end of the browser session.

Session information can be saved to a back-end database but please pay due attention to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.