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Browsing: Visibility and Proportions

In this issue of usability tips, we will look at the proportions that must be assigned to browsing areas when designing a web site. By María José Serres, from the ARTech Marketing Team.

The browsing areas of a web site or web application must not take up more than 20% of the total area of the page, because the main thing in any web site or web application is the content, rather than the browsing method.

In order to stick to these proportions when designing web sites, we recommend starting out by making a diagram of the areas that each of the site pages will have.

 

This way, you will clearly see how content areas, browsing, heading, and page foot will be distributed.

For this scheme, the pixel values recommended, and used in the design of ARTech's sites are:

- Left Menu Area: width: usually up to 140 pixels

- Top Menu Area: height: usually up to 30 pixels

- Heading Area: height: usually up to 80 pixels

- Logo: approximately 45-pixels wide

- Page Foot Area: height: usually no more than 40 pixels

These areas have everything from browsing areas to the logo. It is necessary to keep spaces around the objects in all of them because when they are next to each other, or right by the borders, legibility and use become difficult. Although this scheme has been prepared for an 800-x-600 screen resolution, the pixel-values of each of the areas are absolute; they do not change according to monitor resolution.

You may see examples of this structure at:

www.genexus.com
www.deklarit.com  
www.builder.com  
www.couponmountain.com  
www.laszlosystems.com  

 

 

 

 

Related
Usability Tips: Browsing Consistency
Contents of the Menu Options
Typography
Text Alignment
Usability: Contact us