[thelist] DEBATE: Fixed Width Vs Liquid

Pat Meeks pmeeks at email.msn.com
Tue Jun 4 14:45:01 CDT 2002


> > > dunno if that helps any, since those are my numbers, but it is a
> > > good point that not all 8x6 users surf full-screen...
> >
> > But if they're obviously missing content off the right-hand
> > side of their
> > screen, wouldn't a vast majority of them just expand the
> > window? They might
> > not be happy about it, but they'll do it if they feel like
> > they're missing
> > something.
>
> point being... even if you do a liquid design, more than half of your
> users won't even know. and the 35% who use 1024x768 won't see much
> difference either. the other people that have larger resolutions
> probably want it that way and know about the maximize button, and they
> probably prefer to use it.
>
> i say do it.

Here's my limited experience...

I walk into my clients office, and *everyone* has their monitors set to 8x6.
Anything higher and they claimed they couldn't read anything (and all the
employees are under 40 years of age).

So, now I understood their complaint about their web site. Their site is
mostly data tables, and I placed all the links to the part number spec
sheets in the far right columns - they didn't know the links existed. Even
though the tables were liquid (and I tested and designed for 8x6), the
tables had enough columns that unless they maximized their screens, the far
right columns didn't show. No only could they not see the links to the spec
sheets, but neither could many of their customers. I had to move all the
links to the left column. That was two years ago, and they have since
upgraded their systems and monitors (all 19") and they are still running at
8x6 (unmaximized) and they still cannot see the right-hand columns without
scrolling (which they don't do and I assume that their customers still don't
scroll either).

To me, it raises issues about just how well people read and decipher
symbols, and it looks like there is quite a spread in ability.

Pat





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