 Browser Resolution
We have spoken at length about various differences in browser, or computer, or disibilities of the user. But what about the different browser resolutions available? People have different sized monitors, and more importantly, have those monitors set to a wide range of browser resolutions. For example, someone might have a 12 inch monitor set at 600x480 pixels, while someone else with a 17 inch monitor has it set to 1280x1024 pixels. More than twice the size!
A standard and easy solution employed by the majority of web designers is "the strip". They web site has a fixed width of 800 pixels which is rigid and doesn't change. At 800x600 resolution the web site looks fine. 1024x768 has a wide margin down the left and right hand sides, which can look okay if executed properly.
The problems start to appear at smaller or larger resolutions. A 600x480 resolution, while rare, is not unheard of. These systems can only display part of the strip, and the user must scroll left and right in addition to up and down. A big no-no in web design.
These days a 1600x1200 resolution is not uncommon, this means the strip is viewed as just that: a strip down the middle of the page, with a huge amount of space wasted. |
The Stretchy Solution
The web site must be made to respond to different settings to display differently at browser resolutions. There are two ways to do this.
The basic stretch, much like the A Web Design web site, basically assigns percentages to certain elements in proportion to other elements, to make sure they always maintain that proportion. This is how we have created the page you are crrently viewing. Try resizing your browser window, and you will see that our web site gracefully resizes to accomodate any size or shape, no matter how big or small.
There is also a more advanced version that uses CSS and Javascript. This is only necessary when a page is to be framed top and bottom. You can see examples at serotoneband.co.uk and lance-taylor.com where you again need to resize the browser window. You will notice this time that the page looks the same at any resolution, and it is only the content that scrolls up and down. |
