What's in a standard?

We call them standards. Some people call them guidelines, some people call them standard operating procedures, but they are all nearly the same thing: they are the rules of the web site.  And they come in all colors, shapes and sizes.  But what’s in a standard?

A standard is the definitive chosen condition of an aspect of your site.  It states what should or should not be.  It can be a mandatory standard (“The web site shall always…”) or a prohibitive standard (“Editors shall never…”).  If we’re talking about fonts, your standards might dictate the typeface is always Arial and the site shall always use relative font sizing.  If we’re talking about blogs, your standard might dictate that your organization will only have one blog, to be written by the CEO exclusively, and all other blogs are prohibited.  That type of content is pretty standard for a standard, pardon the pun.

But what else can standard do?  A standard can include the more elusive “why” of aspects of your web site, in the form of a rationale or explanation.  With this added tidbit of information, your content author can go from knowing what font to use, to what the reason is behind that decision.  I’d likely predict that this added information will actually help with compliance to your standards (or whatever they call them in your office.)  It’s like the difference between telling your 3 year old not to touch the stove, and telling him not to touch because it’s really hot.  Of course, both your content author and your toddler should just do what you tell them, but living here in the real world, both are just as likely to ask “why” before following your directions.  When you add the rationale behind the decision to your body of Web Standards, the added bonus for the Web Manager is that the standards can now explain themselves to new staff, as well as hold their own in an argument with a dubious content author.

But wait, there’s more! Your web standards can also link to even more detailed, informative information.  By adding a “Sources” or “References” section, you can point users to other subject matter experts, Web sites, white papers, usability studies, or even other, more comprehensive standards.  Not only will this support the explanation behind the standard, it will show that your decisions weren’t made in a vacuum and actually do reflect the academic best practices distinguished by outside experts.

If you are considering expanded your Web Standards from a list of “brand identity guidelines” and technical standards, to a full blown body of Standards, be sure to consider what else your standards can do for you and your web team.