Guiding Principles

Our guiding principles reflect what AJR stands for when building for the web. While they might sound a little corny, keeping these values at the heart of what we do ensures that every product and service we deliver meets the same high standards we hold ourselves to.

Accessibility is about ensuring that everyone can use and enjoy a website, regardless of ability or circumstance. This means designing and building in ways that support people who use screen readers, navigate by keyboard, rely on captions, or need higher contrast to read comfortably. Accessibility makes the web more inclusive, opening it up to everyone — not just those who use it in the most typical way.

Even though it takes care, testing, and attention to detail, we strive to meet the highest accessibility standards (such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) across every project. By making accessibility a core part of our process, we ensure our websites are not only compliant but genuinely usable and welcoming to all.

Websites need to be fast, smooth, and reliable — not just because users expect it, but because performance directly impacts usability, accessibility, and search engine ranking. Slow sites frustrate visitors, create barriers for people on slower connections or assistive devices, and can even make key content harder to access. By prioritizing performance, we ensure every website we build is efficient, enjoyable to use, and able to reach the widest possible audience.

A website might look great, but if it's confusing, cluttered, or difficult to navigate, it fails its purpose. Usability means making websites intuitive, predictable, and easy to interact with — so users can find what they need quickly and achieve their goals effortlessly. By focusing on usability, we create experiences that feel natural, reduce friction, and leave a lasting positive impression.