We've all been there before: You're browsing a website that has a ton of huge images of delicious food, or maybe that new gadget you've been eyeballing. These images tug at your senses, and for content authors, they're essential in moving people to do things.
Except that these images are downright huge. Like really huge. On a doddering mobile connection, you can even see these images unfurl before you like a descending window shade. You're suddenly reminded of the bad old days of dial-up.
This is a problem, because images represent a significant portion of what's downloaded on a typical website, and for good reason. Images are expressive tools, and they have the ability to speak more than copy can. The challenge is in walking the tightrope between visually rich content, and the speedy delivery of it.
The solution to this dilemma is not one dimensional. (more…)