Resolution problem

whats the most common resolution?

[AjiNIMC]

Hi,

How to handle columns(<td width="75%">blah blah</td>), it looks good with 1024*768 but looks horribly bad with 800*600 resolution. My problem is one column contains textboxes (<input type=text name="EmailAddress"> ), which is of fix length(width), and the other columns contains good amount of text.

When I reduce the resolution to 800*600 the first column remains as it is (width wise), due to which the second column streches length-wise making the design unimpressive.

which one is most common resolution (1024*768 or 800*600)? How do the experts handle these things?

Your suggestions will be highly appreciated.

Regards
Aji

[martinibuster]

>>>which one is most common resolution (1024*768 or 800*600)?

Last time I looked it was pretty much evenly divided.

[AjiNIMC]

I cant surf on 800*600, how does 50% manages such resolution.

What is the relation between human behavior and screen resolution? Is there any.

Aji

[asquithea]

Lots of topics about this lately. I think most people who are surfing with 800x600 do so because their computer came set up that way. Then they get used to it, and before you know it they won't have it any other way...

Using a fluid layout to make your website look good at all resolutions is your best bet.

[rcjordan]

>>>>which one is most common resolution (1024*768 or 800*600)?
>Last time I looked it was pretty much evenly divided.

Yup. As I recall, approx 45% at 800, 45% at 1024, and the majority of the remaining 10% at higher res. Within 2 years, 800 will be fading away and we'll be wondering what a web designer could possibly have been thinking when he used those postage-stamp size photos.

[jimbeetle]

What is the relation between human behavior and screen resolution? Is there any.

they get used to it, and before you know it they won't have it any other way...

Yep, that's me. Even after moving to my 19" Trinitron I set it at 800x600 because I'm used to it. If I bump it up I'm constantly playing with the text size.

But in the past three months or so I've noticed many newer sites not designing to 800x600 any longer, more horizontal scrolls than there used to be.

[TheDoctor]

As I recall, approx 45% at 800, 45% at 1024, and the majority of the remaining 10% at higher res. Within 2 years, 800 will be fading away and we'll be wondering what a web designer could possibly have been thinking when he used those postage-stamp size photos.

But remember these are screen sizes, not necessarily the size of the windows people use. Don't assume that everyone maximises their browser window.

Has anyone ever done any research into the proportion of people who surf with their browser window maximised?

[AjiNIMC]

pretty interesting, I think there is much to think about it. My conversion ratio(visitor to customer) will also depend 45% on 800*600 and 45% on 1024*756.

I will have to re-do the design.

Aji

[lynnharvey]

I've never seen a study on the number of people who don't maximize browser windows, but I'd bet there was one out there somewhere. Personally, I almost never maximize my browser window (or any other window on my computer, for that matter). I don't like reading across the entire width of the screen at 1024*768. The few times I do maximize the window, it's because the designer didn't design for smaller screen/browser sizes and I have to move the scrollbar to see the content. So, if you have a column of ads or text on the right, I won't see it.

My preferences are the main reason I designed my sites with fluid layouts. Then everybody gets what they want.

[smokeyb]

Personally I would rather maximise than side-scroll. I find myself maximising, restore down, maximise, restore down etc depending on whether the window demands it, oh and I am set up with 1024x768 so this principle works 100% (99% in truth) of the time. If I viewed at 800x600 I doubt I would get away with 0% side-scrolling.
Just my tuppence

[twist]

Within 2 years, 800 will be fading away and we'll be wondering what a web designer could possibly have been thinking when he used those postage-stamp size photos.

Within 2 years some laptops will probably be around three or four hundred dollars. These cheap laptops will probably have 13 and 14 inch screen sizes if not smaller. Ever view 1024x768 on a 13" screen? I have a feeling that there will always be people who would prefer to carry a small laptop with them instead of a larger laptop with a 18" screen. With wireless internet like some mcdonalds and hotels are offering it seems that more and more people might start surfing on laptops. Just my opinion, but i'm sticking with designing for 800x600 for a bit longer.

[R1chard]

I'd hope that Within 2 years, the number of people who design for 800 will be fading away...

Seriously, forcing stuff with <td width="75%"> is just an amatuer practice from the early 1990s. We should all be doing proper dynamic display by now. This isn't newsprint.

You cannot and should not predict what people will use. I know that if I just got a brand new monitor and have it set to 4000x3000, then your 1024x768 site is gonna look ridiculous bunched up in the corner!

How about a 200x150 PalmPilot or cellphone? Or how about monitors where the aspect ratio isn't even 1.33:1? We're starting to see 1.5:1 and 16:9 monitors, and so it's not uncommon for somebody to have 854x480. And TFT monitors can often be oriented into a portrait style instead of landscape, so you might get 600(W)x1066(H)!

[BarkerJr]

Exactly. Make your site look great at 1024x768, but only worry about functionality at 800x600. I use percentages in everything, including my logo's dimensions. It looks great all the way down to 800x600 and up to who knows what. And even at 640x480, the content is readable.

[DrDoc]

What about my 768×1024 portrait screen? ;)

[BarkerJr]

Uh, the logo looks a little thin, lol.

[jetnovo]

Sorry I haven't had an opportunity to read existing responses but what is wonder is say you want three columns, two just wide enough for email address and the third expandable for general text.

Try:

<table>
<tr>
<td width="0%">email address</td>
<td width="0%">email address</td>
<td width="100%">blah blah blah blah etc</td>
</tr>
</table>

That way, the two "0%" columns will expand to fit in the email address but no bigger, regardless of screen resolution.

The "100%" column will expand to fill the rest of the screen, regardless of resolution.

Hope this helps(?)!

[NazaretH]

you also might want to add NOWRAP to first two <td>s

[sidyadav]

whats the most common resolution?

There was a previous thread about this, many choose 1024, but not me :)

You might want to read some opinions:
[webmasterworld.com...]

Sid

[AjiNIMC]

Thanks for the responces, I will try some of these techniques to solve my problems.

Thanks again
Aji

[tedster]

Ever view 1024x768 on a 13" screen? I have a feeling that there will always be people who would prefer to carry a small laptop with them instead of a larger laptop with a 18" screen.

I'm seeing more and more of these - they are pretty darned handy and majorly portable. I think the nearly even split between 800 and 1024 will be with us for a while.

And about those huge resolutions? I have yet to see a resolution above 1200px running a browser window at full screen. That just isn't what those power users tend to do. Instead they use all that real estate to have multiple windows opened side by side.