| SpamFish on Dec 7, 1999 at 9:59:41 PM (# 35) At my school, all of the computers are at 640 X 480, so since I tell people about my websites at school, and they use the school's computers, I have to make my sites viewable at this extremely low resolution. I try to make the pages flexible, though, so they'll look okay on bigger resolutions. I usually use a table set at 600 pixels wide so the page looks the same, only with more border. It also compensates for the scroll bar. A 100% width is also a good idea for flexibility, and center everything.
Pinchart on Dec 8, 1999 at 12:47:24 AM (# 36)As we are producing sites for a large audience, all our pages fit in a 640*480 screen, 600 pixels wide. We use frames, but no plug-in. But we will add a Flash version (while keeping the HTML one) at the end of next year.
We made a site for kids last years ( that was made of several frames that simulated a comics page. It was very difficult, but we kept it in the 640*480 grid.
mark on Dec 8, 1999 at 5:28:25 AM (# 37)
| People who NEED more than 640x480 are probably trying to cram to much information on the screen.
It's not too difficult, using good UI-design techniques, to make sites that look good in 640x480 as well as higher resolutions. Personally, as long as there are people browsing in 640x480, I will make my sites look good in 640x480. There are many people where I'm currently consulting that have 17" monitors set to 640x480 because that's the way they came and they don't know they can change it. Some don't want to change it, apparently equating bigger with better.
There are many techniques you can use to conserve space. One I particularly liked on ZDNet (don't know if they are still doing it) was a third column that was to the right of 640 pixels. People in 800x600 or higher saw the column, and people in 640x480 saw a "pull-out tab" that used DHTML to slide the third column in from the right. I thought that was clever. |
etown on Dec 8, 1999 at 6:29:55 AM (# 38)
Designing for all people to view or a target audience is the question to ask when designing.
For us it is simple. Author for the lowest common denmominator to reach all potential viewers. Want extra features, route the user seemlessly to other more advanced sites after you cover the base denominator site.
If you have control over the graphics cards, monitors and screen resoulution of all your clients- go ahead and author for a larger screen size. Your probably .5 % of the designers who have that advantage. If you don't, Your naive to think a client would want to miss an opportunity to have someone come to their site.
While we are at it... Don't forget to author for the other Base denominators...
Operating Systems, browsers and there progressive versions.
Last note:
Don't forget about the PDA, WebTV and other convergence technologies... Web appliances and the like that will have an interface. I think Lowest common denominator is the best. Hardest-yes, but no one is excluded
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bernardkbe on Dec 8, 1999 at 6:43:27 AM (# 39)Superior web design is making resolution independent web sites. Take for example: http://www.cnet.com, http://www.altavista.com
I try to incorporate this principle in all my web sites.
skism on Dec 8, 1999 at 10:36:59 AM (# 40)We would all like to design for a high res audience but it is ultimately down to the client. It would seem that if any IT department is involved, 640x480 is default.
I work with IBM and EDS regularly and they too insist on 640x480.
It would be very interesting to see a survey of just what resolution IS the user norm...
jackburton10 on Dec 8, 1999 at 11:33:41 AM (# 41)As technology advances, so should everything else. I'm sure that everyone answering this forum is developing something that isn't supported by older browsers (specifically the earlier IE's and Netscape 2 series). That's what you can equate the 640x480 resolution to. It's an older resolution. Some people are still using it. Sure they are. But is it the standard resolution? I doubt it. Everything being developed these days will not be for everyone, but it is important that we fit the greatest number of the demographic into our development projects.
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What resolution do you target your sites for?