Users, Accessibility, and Security

This section focuses on the relationship we have with our users. Every piece of software is, ultimately, made for the person who will be using it. That means every piece of software needs some kind of user interface: A way for the user to make the software do what she wants.

In web development we have a notion of "Usability" or "User Science", which is the practice of observing what users do in an application or website and then determining how that matches up to what the product team's intentions were.

Usability also connects with another concept in web development, "Accessibility". Accessibility is the capability for users to access the contents of your website or application, especially when using assistive technologies designed to help users with specific disabilities. These assistive technologies include screen readers, magnifiers, color adjustment tools, and more.

Finally, security is the practice of keeping sensitive or secret information out of the hands of people who should not have it. When it comes to web development, we generally consider web security in terms of password and payment information handling.

We have an obligation to our users to be good stewards of their data, but more than that, our work online is always in service to a specific user. It's important to keep in mind that considering the user and what is best for the user's experience of our work is a primary concern for everyone involved in the development of a website.