How do I optimize my screen resolution?

¿ Optimize for 1024x768, which is currently the most widely used screen size. Of course, the general guideline is to optimize for your target audience's most common resolution, so the size will change in the future. It might even be a different size now, if, say, you're designing an intranet for a company that gives all employees big monitors. ¿ Do not design solely for a specific monitor size because screen sizes vary among users. Window size variability is even greater, since users don't always maximize their browsers (especially if they have large screens). ¿ Use a liquid layout that stretches to the current user's window size (that is, avoid frozen layouts that are always the same size). Currently, about 60% of all monitors are set at 1024x768 pixels. In comparison, only about 17% use 800x600 so it's obviously less important to aim at perfection for these small-display users. What's equally obvious, however, is that you can't simply ignore 17% of your customer segment by providing a frozen layout that requires more screen space than they have available. Optimizing for 1024x768 When I say "optimize" I mean that your page should look and work the best at the most common size. It should still look good and work well at other sizes, which is why I recommend a liquid layout. But it should be its best at 1024x768. The three main criteria in optimizing a page layout for a certain screen size are: ¿ Initial visibility: Is all key information visible above the fold so users can see it without scrolling? This is a tradeoff between how many items are shown vs. how much detail is displayed for each item. ¿ Readability: How easy is it to read the text in various columns, given their allocated width? ¿ Aesthetics: How good does your page look when the elements are at the proper size and location for this screen size? Do all the elements line up correctly -- that is, are captions immediately next to the photos, etc.? You should also consider all three criteria at the full range of sizes, continuously resizing the browser window from 800x600 to 1280x1024. Your page should score high on all criteria throughout the entire resolution range. Your page should also work at even smaller and bigger sizes, though such extremes are less important. Fewer than half a percent of users still have 640x480. Although such users should certainly be able to access your site, giving them a less-than-great design is an acceptable compromise.

Screens optimization, resolution, monitor

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