TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Screen-sized Web Pages? From:Matt Ion <soundy -at- NEXTLEVEL -dot- COM> Date:Sun, 1 Dec 1996 13:07:20 -0800
On Mon, 11 Nov 1996 16:01:12 GMT, Keith Soltys wrote:
>>Can anyone suggest web sites to visit where the pages are designed "by the
>>screenful"? I am trying to illustrate to the people I work for/with the
>>value (necessity) of creating our (soon-to-be[?] online) documentation in a
>>more modular fashion. I would like to create a presentation, including
>>screen captures (for moral as well as practical support), of "well
>>designed" documents, i.e. those where scrolling is kept to a minimum and
>>information is presented in concise chunks.
>>
>You could check out Bill Horton's web site -- he's one of the authors of The
>Web Page Design Cookboo, The URL is http://www.csn.net/brochure/index.htm.
>The site is nicely laid out and the information is chunked into pieces that
>should be about one screenful on most computers.
One should keep in mind, when determining what a "screenful" is, that
it can range anywhere between 640x480 pixels, to 1600x1200 pixels, and
that horizontal scrolling is even more irritating than vertical
scrolling.
Also, when you're talking about "most" computers, granted, "target
audience" comes into play a little it (if you know you're dealing with
a lot of graphic artists, you can safely assume most are running at
higher resolutions), but the majority of systems you'll find "on the
street" are still stuck at their default VGA settings (640x480x16
colors), so that not only are those "This page best viewed at 800x600"
layouts a pain, but those lovely 24bpp color images that take forever
to download are compeltely wasted.
Your friend and mine,
Matt
<insert standard disclaimer here>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
They shoot without shame / In the name of a piece of dirt
For a change of accent / Or the color of your shirt
Better the pride that resides / In a Citizen of the World
Than the pride that divides / When a colorful rag is unfurled
- Rush, "Territories"