Posted by rjbrown99 on December 17, 2009 at 10:30pm
All,
Interesting link you may want to check out:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10417141-264.html?tag=newsEditorsPicks...
They have a link to a Google Labs project here:
http://browsersize.googlelabs.com/
It's a simply web overlay that shows the percentage of visitors to your web site that may not be able to see the page without scrolling. They are using aggregated screen resolution statistics from visitors to google.com to calculate the percentages. This plays into the 'human side' of a site design in terms of placement of important buttons or items.
Happy Holidays,
-Robert
Comments
Interesting!
Thanks Robert, interesting.
I recently had a client who was worried about having everything in one view and "above the fold". This browser size tool ties into that a bit. If everything is not on a single screen, does that mean the users won't scroll? I think it really depends on the kind of site, the design, and content. In the google and cnet examples it makes sense to have a donate or download button high on the page if that is your call to action and purpose of the page.
Here are some other links that talk about the "above the fold" debate.
http://blog.clicktale.com/?p=19
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/blasting-the-myth-of
http://www.cxpartners.co.uk/thoughts/the_myth_of_the_page_fold_evidence_...
I wish I had the resources to do my own user testing. While screen size and scrolling is something I've always tried to be sensitive to while designing I also wonder how much energy it is worth to put in extra hours reconfiguring layouts.
Interesting topic!
-Tim