Guidelines for Implementing Sustainable Web Design – Now Available

As a provider of sustainable web design solutions (in Japanese), I've discussed theme in several of my previous Columns.

The last time I covered the topic was in my "Latest Trends in Sustainable Web Design" published last October. At that time, I reported on the growing activities of the W3C's Sustainable Web Design Community Group, and, in August of this year, the Community Group released Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) 1.0.

While I've already introduced this theme in a Front End Blog (in Japanese) article titled "Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) 1.0 Released," and although there is some overlap in content, I'd like to reintroduce these guidelines, hereinafter, referred to by the abbreviation WSG.

Please note that this Column is based on Version 1.0 of the Guidelines, which is a draft, so, as the WSG are updated in the future, there may be some discrepancies in content.

Overview of the WSG

These days, the sustainability of societies and environments is a growing concern, and the web, which is built on the backdrop of enormous power consumption, is no exception. So, to combat this, the WSG - a comprehensive set of guidelines that unify recommendations on how to realize a more sustainable web - have been produced.

The WSG are modeled on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), these are guidelines that advocate the accessibility of web content. However, it should be noted that the publisher is a Community Group, not a Working Group - this indicates that the W3C standardization process has not been implemented, and that the WSG are not a W3C standard.

Regarding the WSG, to further enhance the guidelines participation is open to all. There are two ways to report and share feedback, either via GitHub or through emails sent to public-sustyweb@w3.org. There is no set deadline.

Composition of the WSG

The WSG adopt a hierarchical structure similar to the WCAG. Specifically, there are three layers: Principles, Guidelines, and Success Criteria.

At the highest level are the Principles, six in all. Together, they have been defined as the Sustainable Web Manifesto - they are:

• Clean
• Efficient
• Open
• Honest
• Regenerative
• Resilient

Under these Principles, to make the content more sustainable, various Guidelines have been defined as the basic objectives that should be addressed. In total, there are 93 Guidelines – these are arranged into four category groups. They are:

• User-Experience Design
• Web Development
• Hosting, Infrastructure And Systems
• Business Strategy And Product Management

Each Guideline has its impact and cost designated at three levels (low/medium/high). Furthermore, testable Success Criteria are defined under each Guideline. In total, there are currently 232 Success Criteria.

To provide a tangible example, under the Web Development category grouping, there is a Guideline titled "Use HTML Elements Correctly". This Guideline has a medium impact, a medium cost, and defines the following three Success Criteria:

Semantic Code

Ensure content is marked up semantically using the right HTML element for the right job.

Avoid Non-standard Code

Avoid using non-standard elements or attributes.

Custom Code

Only use custom elements or web components when native HTML elements cannot be utilized or if there is a need for tightly regulated control over the implementation of design system components.

The Future of the WSG and Our Approach

To reiterate, the WSG are not an official guideline issued by W3C at this time; furthermore, content is likely to change in the future. However, I believe that the document, which has so explicitly consolidated and systematized web sustainability best practices, is unique and worthy of attention.

Depending on future developments, there's a possibility that the forum for formulation will be advanced from a Community Group to a Working Group, and that, in accordance with the standardization process, recommendations will be presented as official W3C guidelines. If this happens, coupled with the increasing momentum for addressing societal issues, the WSG may become widely ingrained in the industry as key guidelines for practicing Sustainable Web Design.

Regarding our approach, as part of our Sustainable Web Design Solution service (in Japanese) we will consider adopting the WSG as a quality standard to be met by our deliverables. Prior to this, as part of our continuous efforts to improve the "expected as standard quality" of our work, we will also consider incorporating the Success Criteria defined in the WSG on a step-by-step basis into our inspection processes.

While it may be somewhat difficult to explain the Guidelines and Success Criteria in their totality due to the sheer volume of information within ... as a successor to our seminar Web Quality in the Age of Sustainability Management (in Japanese), we'd like to hold a further seminar to introduce the WSG in more detail.