Reducing image size to increase download time

in most cases the saying has always been

"Bigger means Better"

However in Web Pages, this is not 100% true when it comes to images.  The modern digital camera has allowed us to push more information per inch into a image file and while this brings out strong detail in a print it actually can be a negative when it comes to keeping a user's attention on the content of your Web Page.

Users can access a Web Page from any number of forms of technology and with each one there are different concerns for the user.  If dial-up is the means of connection (and yes there are still users in the connected world that access the internet via dial-up access) then the larger the file the slower it is rendered onscreen.  for users accessing content via Mobile devices, like Android and iOS phones and tablets, there becomes the concern over how much of their data package will accessing one website use.


The Generally accepted solution for Web Designers has been to reduce the quality of the file to a resolution of 72 DPI (Dots per inch).  By reducing the quality, and through the use of CSS and properly formatted HTML code, the Web Browser can format surrounding information onto the screen so that if an image is slow in being accessed the user can still look through content and information without feeling that their experience is being held at a stands still due to one image.  Through doing this users become more accepting of content that maybe downloading unusually slow, as they still have material to interact with.