I'm trying to complete a site, and I was wondering if I should optimize the pages to load quickly on 56K. If yes, what's the preferred maximum loading time for page content? Do most people use 56K modems to access the internet? Or are most online users on highspeed or broadband accounts these days? I hope someone here can give me good advice. Thanks for your time!
yes more and more people are on higher bandwidth - but it depends on other things as well like targeted category and geographic area. e.g electronics - one can assume a high % of broadband except if you sell broadbandmodems..... cities will have higher bb density etc... So if you need a broad apeal it's a good idea to keep 56k in mind - a good way around issues is to re-use graphics / graphic elements thus while people browse they build up the elements and use existing ones.... If I have to support highly graphical sites I try to get the graphical elements tiled and make absolute sure that text is displayed that keeps the attention whilst the graphics build (no jerking etc) Hope it helps Expat
Do you think by optimizing for 56K... you'd be trading off the design look/appeal that you'd otherwise have if you design to target broadband/highspeed visitors? With 56K in mind, you'd have to have more text than image designs... page will load faster of course, but design appeal will be lacking. Is that a correct assumption?
Why not like a have a intro page that askes the user what type of conection he/she has. Click on the "high speed" link if you have fast connection, or the other if you have 56k. And so obviouly you would have to design 2 of the same sight. But hey that would satsify both slower users and eye picky users. Just maybe a little more work for you.
Hmmm... I didn't think about that. That's certainly an option... though it will require more site work... but you're right, it will make both groups happy
If you're going to do something like this, have your first page default to the low bandwidth version and put a switcher within your site design itself, instead of dedicating your home page to a switcher, which is a waste of good search engine exposure and a pain in the ass for visitors having to go through this extra step every time, no matter what, with no content of interest being presented at the same time.
Looks like a bit more than 60% of users have broadband now: http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=171201494
I still use dialup 56K. I have been using high speed dial up which allows images to load at a diminished quality. Honestly I think calling it high speed dial up is more wishful thinking than a fact. A few years back, I saw a few references to keeping page size at or below 50KB. Obviously images can take you beyond that in a heartbeat. If a page takes longer than 20-30 seconds, I lose interest, unless it is highly important to me. And, I always skip Flash intros. I still think there are a great number of dialup users. Even if Broadband is hitting 60%, a lot of these figures include workers who access broadband at work but may have a slower connection at home. But if slow band is only 40%, that is still millions of users who might move away from your site due to a slow loading page. Take AOL for instance. Although one of their options is broadband, I still believe a high percentage of their customers have normal dial up. I can't show you stats, but I think it is so. Also a lot of users still use 800x600 browsers, so don't forget them. If images are essential to your site design, use a preload script to get the top image loading first. Make it easer for a user to view your site. I am by no means a fancy designer. I have been too lazy to learn ASP, CSS etc. and my artistic ability is nil. I just try to make pages that load quickly.
This is sort of an extension of what expat said, but your order of code can help to give the illusion of a quick load. If you put your text before your images (or at least before as many as possible), it will load quickly and give your user something to read while the rest of the pretty stuff loads. Just something to think about.
I think in europe there is also more or less 80%, but i still make pages less than 15k .... and still have eyecandy
try to have it at simple as possible (that doesn't mean it will look less appealing).. usually it's the pictures that take away bandwith, so, except your logo (which you can have it up to a 20K), try not to have pictures with more than 1-2K i think my site is nice, and it loads quite fast (the logo is 13K, the rest is <1K and text)
Im not on dialup anymore, but that is because I am paying extra to get wireless. living way out in the country, we dont have access to DSL, cable, or anything else that may be available to others. dialup out here really sucks - the fastest you can connect is 28.8. our phone lines are in the dark ages.