Accessibility

With the aim of providing access to all, without excluding users that utilize configurations of software/hardware, connectivity of differing requirements. This site has been planned and developed according to specific criteria:

• server side management of site structure;
• adherence to XHTML, CSS and WAI A standards;
• contextualized information to facilitate navigation and orientation within each page on the site.

In detail:

• in order to facilitate orientation, navigation and comprehension of the structure of the site, specific titles, significant page titles, hidden explanatory texts, ALTernate texts for images with respect to the functions carried out, meta-links etc, have been used;
• in order to facilitate navigation within each page a special navigation menu for each section, which allows direct transfer to the various sections of the page, has been employed. Included in this menu are the access keys and keyboard shortcuts;
• in order to provide structural semantic information, the appropriate html tags-h1,h2 etc, have been used: these provide the page with a content structure;
• In order to provide supplementary descriptions of the context, relative textual information has been inserted at menu level on each current page and each present subsection. Such information has been inserted in order of: first the more important information followed by more detailed or peripheral information, with the aim of avoiding acoustic stress for users accessing the site via audio. Fixed points in the text have also been inserted;
• In order to facilitate the recognition of adjacent links, the links have been separated using a rough character;
• In order to reduce download times, the pages have used few images and a low number of colours. In addition, the layout is managed by separate tables that allow the minimization of time spent to generate video images.

Usability

With the aim of facilitating user navigation and interaction, this site has been created and developed according to the principles of Jacob Nielsen's usability system:

• efficacy
• efficiency
• user satisfaction
• easy to learn
• easy to remember

In Detail:

• Communication: the visual and textual language used is clear and simple, studied specifically for users that have been pre-defined by specific analysis, guaranteeing a style that is coherent with the aims and the identity of the magazine;
• The structure of the contents: the complexity and quantity of the contents is managed through a precise study of information architecture, in order to provide users with a hierarchical structure balanced between abundance and depth, using a labelling system that is both intuitive and recognizable;
• navigation: navigation is implemented through three different types of menu, that have their own graphics: a contents menu, a service menu and a communication menu.
• An appropriate contextual navigation, obtained by signalling every correlated article or subject, and through the use of specific in-depth links that aim to enrich the range of choices available to the user. There is also a navigable map for the schematic visualization of the structure of the site and navigable "breadcrumbs" on every page that signal to the user his/her position;
• Interface: the interface has been created and constructed in a consistent and coherent way that is designed to orientate the user in every phase of his/her navigational experience.
• Interactivity: the interaction has been developed in such a way as to satisfy users that are both expert and non expert, thus providing the user with numerous choices, it is also configured to guarantee feedback from each movement that the user makes;
• Management: management of the site is fully automatic thanks to the use of a Content Management System to guarantee continuous updates and immediate technical monitoring.