Viewing Considerations:
Initially, it is necessary to understand that your website design, and for that matter, all websites are viewed on a variety of computer platforms and browsers. A website visitor could be using a Mac, a Unix system, or a Windows based PC computer. Further, a visitor could be browsing the web through Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, or a host of other available web browser software.
The browser issue is more of a concern than the computer platform. You are not able to run a downloaded program from a platform that is different from the one you are using unless both platforms are compatible. Example: A UNIX program will not run on a Mac and a BeBox program won't run on a Windows system. Javascript code solves platform incompatibility issues in that Java can run on any platform, as long as the browser is compatible with the current Java standard.
You have probably been the recipient of Java update downloads from your browser’s software. New tag additions and modifications are not generally supported by older versions, including fonts and table colors. However, MatterMax Media recommends that you use div tags instead of table designs. HTML, now XMTML5 was designed to accommodate new tags and browser codes, along with the advent of CSS style sheets. Using these codes in your web design should enable most browsers to be able to render and display all site information to your visitors.
Screen Resolutions:
Screen resolutions will vary from one site visitor to the next. Therefore your site’s design must allow for variations in screen resolution. The most common screen resolutions today start at 1024(width) x 768 (height) pixels (85% - Jan 2011) and most browser resolutions are even higher . MatterMax Media suggests that you no longer need to consider the 640 x 480 or 800 x 600 older default screen resolution settings.
In many cases, a website’s page will exceed the 1024x768 pixel screen resolution. In those instances, you may notice a scrollbar displayed; either horizontally or vertically.
Top Screen Resolutions – Clicky Web Analytics:
- 8,503 – 1366 x768 – Google Chrome 16.0
- 6,656 – 1280x800 – Firefox 8.0
- 6,244 – 1920 x 1080 – Firefox 9.0
- 5,374 – 1440 x 900 – IE 8.0
- 4,923 – 1280 x 1024 – Safari 5.1
- 4,575 – 1024 x 768 – IE 9.0
- 4,430 – 1680 x 1050 – Firefox 3.6
- 3,333 – 1920 x 1200 – Safari 5.0
- 2,469 – 1600 x 900 – IE 7.0
- 1,291 – 2560 x 1440- Safari 5.1 Mobile
Graphic Example:
In the instance of a 650 pixels wide graphic viewed on a 1024 x 768 screen resolution monitor, a horizontal scrollbar will not display.
Your pages should work at any resolution, from 800×600 to 1280×1024 and beyond. You can optimize your site’s design by using 1024 x 768, which still is the most widely used screen size.
Layouts:
As you can imagine, there are thousands of web site layout designs from which to choose. Two Column, Three Column and Four Column designs and other combinations of column layouts are seen throughout the web world.
As a rule, the best design for any website, is the one that imparts pertinent information that can be viewed on a landing (home) page above the fold. The fold is considered to be that area that is visible on a 1024 x 768 pixel screen resolution computer monitor, without having to scroll down to see the rest of the page.
Further, MatterMax Media contends that you should ensure that your landing page also works on a 15 inch laptop monitor as the visible real estate is smaller.
Columns?
In a nutshell, the number of columns on a page can affect load times, as more columns translate into more data. Therefore depending on what your site is offering, the least amount of columns on the home page is probably best.
In the instance of sites such as CNN, Huffington Post, MSBNC and other site containing many categories, Four Columns work best, However, remember as we discussed in last week’s blog, these types of huge sites are running on dedicated servers. If your site is setup on a shared or VPS server, then you will have to choose your layouts carefully.
Colors:
The color scheme you choose is critical in creating an alluring environment for your web site users. Your favorite colors may not be a good look for your web site, and you may have to make some compromises with color choices.
Make sure that you consult a graphic artist that has designed graphics for web environments, so that your color choices will bring in users and not turn them away. People like to hang out in areas that are pleasing to them.
Again, Remember, Google and Facebook are white for a reason: Extremely Fast Load Times!
See you next week at Today’s Marketing Blog, where we will present the first installment of the “Google +” series, “The New Social Media.”
MatterMax Media is a full service integrated marketing agency located in Stone Mountain, Georgia. MatterMax Media provides strategy, technology, marketing and training for individuals, businesses and government. Today’s Marketing Blog focuses on Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Web Matters. When you require assistance with your website creation, branding/marketing strategy, feel free to contact us.
