Comments on: Screen versus window size and the never ending debate on usability http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/ The leading source of news covering social media and the blogosphere. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:53:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Eddie http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/comment-page-1/#comment-115085 Eddie Thu, 07 Sep 2006 15:25:56 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/#comment-115085 Another facet to all this is browser chrome... specifically, side panels and the like. I have a widescreen monitor with large resolution, but I too like my browser maximized. I bet, if I sat down on a couch with a psychologist or hypnotist, we'd find out it's due to Fitt's law. But that *still* doesn't mean I like to have a skinny page taking up 20% of my screen surrounded by whitespace. Nope, I get good use out of side panels. I wrote about this here: http://my.opera.com/usability/blog/show.dml/109366 Another facet to all this is browser chrome… specifically, side panels and the like. I have a widescreen monitor with large resolution, but I too like my browser maximized. I bet, if I sat down on a couch with a psychologist or hypnotist, we’d find out it’s due to Fitt’s law. But that *still* doesn’t mean I like to have a skinny page taking up 20% of my screen surrounded by whitespace.

Nope, I get good use out of side panels. I wrote about this here:
http://my.opera.com/usability/blog/show.dml/109366

]]> By: Thord Hedengren http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/comment-page-1/#comment-114877 Thord Hedengren Wed, 06 Sep 2006 08:54:53 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/#comment-114877 Oh yes, dynamic layouts can be very useful and user friendly - but in a designers' perspective it's a bit hard to work with if you want to do something special. But I completely agree with you, it's definetely an alternative! Oh yes, dynamic layouts can be very useful and user friendly – but in a designers’ perspective it’s a bit hard to work with if you want to do something special. But I completely agree with you, it’s definetely an alternative!

]]> By: Vicki http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/comment-page-1/#comment-114753 Vicki Tue, 05 Sep 2006 12:32:41 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/#comment-114753 Well there are alternatives to fixed-width layouts (that look small and lonely in the middle of your page) and liquid layouts (where lines of text will streeeeeeeeeetttchhh into something unreadable and unpleasant to use in a larger window... I've read that around 60 characters a line is optimal) without going "dynamic". Elastic layouts, with margins etc set in relative units, and max-widths set on blocks of text, and scalable images, go a long way to making sites more usable no matter what the window size... Dynamic layouts can be useful... I've seen a few where a third, less important column drops below the content (by intention) when a smaller window size is detected. This is great except it could be disconcerting when the user resizes the screen and the layout changes... however... most users don't do that, just us webdev types. :-) Equally important these days, though, is the increase of people using mobile technologies to access the web — it's not just the increasingly common large screens that are an issue — the increasingly common small screens are too. So it's really important that sites are well-built in terms of using valid and semantically-correct code to ensure they have the maximum chance of being usable whatever the screen size... Just my 2 cents... I have plenty more to share but that might be boring here. :-) Well there are alternatives to fixed-width layouts (that look small and lonely in the middle of your page) and liquid layouts (where lines of text will streeeeeeeeeetttchhh into something unreadable and unpleasant to use in a larger window… I’ve read that around 60 characters a line is optimal) without going “dynamic”. Elastic layouts, with margins etc set in relative units, and max-widths set on blocks of text, and scalable images, go a long way to making sites more usable no matter what the window size…

Dynamic layouts can be useful… I’ve seen a few where a third, less important column drops below the content (by intention) when a smaller window size is detected. This is great except it could be disconcerting when the user resizes the screen and the layout changes… however… most users don’t do that, just us webdev types. :-)

Equally important these days, though, is the increase of people using mobile technologies to access the web — it’s not just the increasingly common large screens that are an issue — the increasingly common small screens are too. So it’s really important that sites are well-built in terms of using valid and semantically-correct code to ensure they have the maximum chance of being usable whatever the screen size…

Just my 2 cents… I have plenty more to share but that might be boring here. :-)

]]> By: Thord Hedengren http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/comment-page-1/#comment-114729 Thord Hedengren Tue, 05 Sep 2006 07:51:52 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/#comment-114729 I'm not sure that a techy audience prefer this or that kind of layout actually, but maybe you're right. Most people want sites that look good and are easy to read, and TBH sure fills those requirements. Being a designer sure is hard on you. :( I’m not sure that a techy audience prefer this or that kind of layout actually, but maybe you’re right. Most people want sites that look good and are easy to read, and TBH sure fills those requirements.

Being a designer sure is hard on you. :(

]]> By: Matt Craven http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/comment-page-1/#comment-114676 Matt Craven Mon, 04 Sep 2006 16:44:43 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2006/09/04/screen-versus-window-size-and-the-never-ending-debate-on-usability/#comment-114676 We're rolling with a dynamic layout here on BH - however this last design approach was the first time that we defaulted to a layout that was at least 900px wide or so.. And we've heard no complaints about that... Course, our audience is more techy than most.. Matt We’re rolling with a dynamic layout here on BH – however this last design approach was the first time that we defaulted to a layout that was at least 900px wide or so..

And we’ve heard no complaints about that…

Course, our audience is more techy than most..

Matt

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