Website Optimisation & Design: Which Screen Resolution to Design
for?
It is at times a common mistake for web designers, especially
beginners, to create a website which is not optimised for
various screen resolutions. With over 40 different screen
resolutions, it is extremely important to optimise your web
pages for the most popular screen resolutions so that your web
pages can be viewed by a greater number of online visitors.
Here are some basic facts to consider when designing for screen
resolutions:
- 800x600 is the minimum resolution offered on most PCs and
notebooks. 800x600 is also the preferred viewing option for 14%
of internet users.
- The most popular resolutions used by approximately 60% of
online users is 1024 x 768, followed by 1280x1024 and other
resolutions, with 26% of internet users.
Designing for a wide spectrum of resolutions is therefore
essential. But how is this achieved?
The process of designing for all resolutions is achieved through
a "lowest-to-highest" resolution technique. Which ever image
editing or web building application you are using, it is
important to set your working area or table width to a
resolution within 800 x 600. A suitable area of 770 x 560 is
recommended for best viewing in a web browser on a 800 x 600
screen resolution. This recommended area will not only alleviate
horizontal page scrolling but will keep your pages user friendly
and easy to read.
Designing web pages for all resolutions is especially useful for
attracting and keeping visitors for a longer period of time on
your site. Easy to use and read websites are always more likely
to attract customers. A poorly designed and structured website
with irritable horizontal scrolling will only drive away
visitors and potential buyers.