[thelist] DEBATE: Fixed Width Vs Liquid

kevin D. white simplecypher at bitshift.ws
Tue Jun 4 11:48:19 CDT 2002


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The assumption implicit in your designer's argument is that their
archetype user always surfs the with their Web browser maximized to
fill the screen.  This is a common example of self-referential
design.  Your designers may be attaching their preference for surfing
with a maximized browser to your users.  The designers may be right,
they may not.  Do all your users share that preference?  Probably
not.

It may be the other sites your users visit use a fixed width design
that forces a maximized window.  Your users may resent being forced
to un-maximize their browser while on your site.  Or they may learn
to love the flexibility and choice offered by a liquid design.  Which
way do the users of your site lean?  Only they can tell you that one.
 If you want a truely difinitive answer, you will have to ask your
users.

*Maximized browser or Windowed?*

- - Liquid design : choice resides with each user
- - Fixed design : choice resides with the designer

It's your site and your content but their computer and their Web
browser.

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Kogler" <ken.kogler at cph.org>
| I've come up with a (mostly) liquid design for a site I'm working
on. (I say
| "mostly" because with the graphical elements, the minimum with is
something
| like 600px. It's not truly liquid).
|
| The graphics department here says that a 100% width is "ugly" and
"not
| readable" because "users don't want to read long lines of text."
They're
| insisting I keep to a 750px static width on every page.
|
| Arguments for or against this? I'm all for the liquid design, but I
can't
| quite formulate an argument powerful enough to disprove the
know-it-all
| graphics department.
|
| -Ken
|
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