indite the web

While creating this blog I was faced with a dilemna: what width do I make the layout?  I knew I wanted it to be a fixed width, but what width?  I’ve developed sites for a long time for 800X600 resolution.  My thought is that it still looks good for those with a higher resolution, but works for those with a lower one.  I still hold to this.  There are many things you can do to enhance browsing for users with higher resolutions.  (For instance, say you have a wrapper container set at 760px.  You could add a background image to the body that would be visible to users with higher resolutions, while not hindering those with a lower one.  Anyway, back on topic:)  There were two big considerations to making this site optimal for users with a 1024×768 resolution or higher.  1) This is a blog.  Due to content needs and ads, a large percentage of blogs seem to forsake the 800×600 users, more out of necessity than spite.  That’s the road I opted for.  2) I assume my readers have some level of tech interest, and as such, there is a very good chance they have a resolution higher than 800×600.

Again, I can’t stress enough: consider your target audience.  I did a project with a company who’s client was a group comprised of mostly elderly people.  As such, their screen resolutions were likely to fall into the 800×600 category.  I worked with that company for almost a year and a half on various other projects, and I got into the habit/mindset of designing for 800×600.  We both thought that with the statistics available at the time, and with the clients they have, this would be the best choice.  But, things are changing, and likely will continue to change into the future.  The beauty of Web development is that it’s constantly changing, constantly evolving.  So are our users.  We need to keep our thumb on the pulse of the times and make sure that, regardless of what resolution we design for, we’re keeping our users first in our mind.