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Dec 5 Does size matter?Permanent Link

I’m afraid, nowadays, it does. It seems to be cropping up time and time again, with people saying to me: ‘yeah, it looks pretty good, but can it to be bigger?’. Also, when I’m just looking around, I come across those that are a lot wider than before?! What’s going on? ...

Wait a minute?! What’s that sniggering I hear at the back there?? Why, I’m talking about ‘site width’ of course! You have such filthy minds! Tsk! ...

Statistics show that the number of users with large screen resolutions is increasing. As of January 2007, 54% of users have a screen resolution of 1024×758 (% is actually dropping), with 26% even higher (% is getting higher), and only 14% at 800×600 (% dropping) – Source www.w3schools.com/...

But what does this mean in terms of the decisions you make as a developer? Do you produce 80% of your sites in 1024? Do you abandon 800×600 altogether? ...

There are many things to consider when deciding the width of a site. Don’t fall into the trap of building a site based on overall stats, or because everyone else seems to be using a certain width, or indeed, just because you’ve not built a site at that width before!

Useful points to consider when planning a site design display resolution, are the following:

The site’s projected intended users and audience:

You’ll notice that many sites you probably browse that are about web design and development are at least 1024 wide. That is because the majority of those viewing the site will have there resolutions set to at least 1024 (let’s face it: have you ever tried designing or coding at 800×600! There just ain’t no space!).
But if you’re, say, designing a site for an educational organisation, or for perhaps a less web savvy audience, it could be that screen resolutions are either locked at 800×600 due to network security, or the user doesn’t have the knowledge to increase the screen resolution (or even know that it can be increased!). A good site strategy and scope will give you the grounding to make the right decision.

The amount of content that will be displayed on a site:

Content is still king. Even more so in today’s data sharing environment. So sometimes it’s a good idea to let the content dictate the width of a layout. If there ain’t much content to be displayed and you opt for a wide layout, then a site could look too open and shallow – height-wise. If you have loads of content (text, pictures, navigational elements, adverts etc. etc), and you go for a narrow layout, things can look cluttered and scrolling can become an issue. Discussing content and researching a little into the website subject matter can help.

The projected growth of site content:

It could be that, at first, the site will have only a few navigational elements, and not much content. But if the site’s architecture is set-up for growth, as with perhaps a dynamically driven site with an ability for the user to add pages, then perhaps a wide solution is the right choice. Or, if you’re really clever, a design that is flexible enough to change should the site architecture and on-page content grow over time.

The importance of content being immediately accessible by all

Is it imperative that all content must be immediately viewable by all potential site visitors? It may be that your sites content is extremely important, and / or the site has the potential to attract visitors from across the spectrum of users at different display resolutions. In this case, perhaps 800 is the solution which will guarantee that the site is easily accessed by all who visit, and that it’s message will be immediately displayed on the viewers screen.

Liquid and Zoom

There are, of course, also the options of a developing a liquid layout or zoom layout to deal with the screen resolution issue. Liquid layouts are layouts where the site’s content and design fills the screen, regardless of resolution, and zoom layouts are where a site layout design and content can be enlarged (not just the text).

Again, there are factors to consider when choosing these options:

For example, a site may have to follow very closely certain ‘brand guidelines’, and a certain look and feel, dictated perhaps by fixed size design considerations such as those in the clients’ print marketing. A liquid layout may, therefore, be too inconsistent in terms of how it is displayed at different resolutions. A client may also have a very fixed idea are where they want things on screen; how many words are displayed on each line; how big certain elements are in relation to others. A liquid layout may not tick the box of what they require in terms of layout. A zoom layout could well be the answer, but then at what resolution does the design sit to begin with? Something else to consider!

Again, content may play a factor. A layout that works well in 1024 may look too narrow and cluttered in 800, and perhaps too sparse and ‘broken’ in higher resolutions. You could argue that the site works best at the ‘industry standard’ display resolution, and degrades nicely for users at other resolutions – but try telling that to a client who is viewing your design in 800×600 and is unhappy!

I think the important thing is planning. Good communication with the client will ensure that you can plan and manage a site that: A) addresses the needs of the sites intended users, B) Deals with layout requirements based on content, and C) addresses the specific requests of the client and what they would like to see from their website.

Again, don’t be blinded by those ‘web2.0’ trends, or, indeed, by stats. If you take each case as it comes, clients and users will be more than happy with your size!

  1. bgw | Dec 5, 16:07 | #

    I think as long as the main content of a page is within the 800px range, you’ve not much to worry about. My resolution may be 1280px wide, but my browser is windowed around 800px.

    A List Apart, for example, loses its sidebar in my window, but that’s not a big deal since it contains no required content. The only issue is it feels awkward having a large blank margin on the left. Just needs me to scroll a little to the right to center, and all is well.

  2. kevadamson | Dec 6, 18:24 | #

    @bgw : Aye, alistapart.com is a great example of well thought out web layout design, combined with great graphical and typographical design. When you also consider it as an on-line magazine – perfect. The illustration is really nice as well – gives it real personality …

  3. david b | Dec 6, 22:19 | #

    Was funny coming across this article, I just widened www.logopond.com from 1024 up to 1280, got tired of the narrow width of the site and all the scrolling that accompanied it, so I checked the sites stats and over 80% were on res over 1024, so I made the move and most of the feedback has been positive.

    I agree with you, you should take all kinds of consideration into account when you make that kind of decision and should take each case on its own merit.

  4. kevadamson | Dec 7, 09:14 | #

    @David : Heh! Indeedy. I noticed that t’other day. Logopond is a site I’m often on. If your core visitors are designers, they will no doubt by viewing at high-res – as your stats show. I must admit, it is one of the first I’ve seen at a fixed width of 1280 – a brave move by all accounts! Keep up the good work on the site. I’ve added some new logos to my account, btw ;) ...

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