Common Screen Resolution

When designing for the Web, one important consideration is screen resolution. It’s important to keep in mind the common screen resolution choices of most users so that your Web design can be seen correctly on as many computers as possible.

The term “screen resolution” really refers to screen size, not the quality of the display. Screen resolution is expressed in the number of pixels horizontally and vertically. A computer display with a resolution of 800x600 has a display with 800 pixels across and 600 pixels high.

The two most common screen resolution choices today are 1024x768 and 800x600. Between them, 1024x768 wins with 54% of users opting for this common screen resolution. Only 14% choose the 800x600 screen resolution. 24% of users choose to operate screen resolutions higher than 1024x768. Many older computers only have 800x600 display screens, so that could account for the 14% who choose this display option.

When developing a website, it’s important to test the display in a variety of different screen resolutions. Some people only consider how browser selection will affect the view of a website’s lay out. While different browsers can have a strong affect on how a website is displayed, screen resolution can play an even bigger role. Some strategies can be employed to make a Web page accessible to all users regardless of browser selection or which common screen resolution is chosen.

It is also important to remember that different browsers use different toolbars, etc., which can adjust the amount of “real estate” designers have to work with. For example, in Internet Explorer 6, the common screen resolution 1024x768 becomes 1003x568 when factoring in the browsers default features.

In order to get the most out of your website, it’s important to design for all of the common screen resolution choices. The key to doing this is to choose the smallest resolution you would expect your site to be shown in and import images to fit that resolution. Then, when you make your design, you have to code it using percentages rather than pixels. That way, your design will look the same no matter what screen resolution a user chooses.