Is your website really designed for your user? Think again.
Mac OS has a 15.6%* share of the June 2021 desktop/laptop market. So, roughly 84% of your desktop/laptops users are on PC (not Apple).
Now think of the design community creating your online visual experience. Most web/graphic designers use Mac.
What does that mean?
Your designer is creating and reviewing your designs on a Mac…
…for your user who is going to experience it on a PC.
For a few months now, some of my favorite web and desktop apps have gone through design changes.
As a user, I have struggled with readability after these changes. Especially due to the poor contrast and colors. In some cases, the only fix was to switch to dark mode.
My eyes were fine. 😊
By sheer chance, I happened to work on a Mac the other day and was blown away by the superior aesthetics and visual experience of the same apps.
Sharper text, great contrast and readability.
The subtle colors looked classy and elegant versus the flat shades on my PC.
And then it hit me.
This was not just a case of the superiority of Apple screens.
Rather, the web designers were optimizing for Macs with their awesome screens.
Did they put themselves in their PC user’s shoes and use a PC to surf their website for a few days?
I don’t know.
Did the decision-makers do it?
Perhaps they are on a Mac too.
It's early for me to say “Design for your users, not for your designers”.
I am going to let this one incubate some more.
* https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide