|
| |
|
|
RickP
Posts: 665
Joined: 11/13/2004
From: Kent, U.K.
Status: offline
 |
Something a bit different! - 11/10/2005 14:20:52
Just finalising a site revamp here.
I did the original a year or so ago but have recently been trying to think of a better way to execute the two horizontally scrolling pages (!) - Horizontal scroll bars aren't the only 'rule' of 'good web design' it breaks (!) but see what you think. When I first done the site I had never seen a (designed-to-be) side-scrolling website, and still haven't, but maybe you can point me to other known examples - I'd be most interested to see them.
Thanks to a few folk who helped me a couple of weeks ago re 'vertical alignment' issues - you'll see where this comes in with the page layout for the two 'galleries'.
As ever, all comments, observations, tests appreciated...
_____________________________
Regards, Rick
On-The-Web-Now!
|
|
|
|
Nicole
Posts: 2830
Joined: 9/15/2004
From: Nambucca / Kempsey, Australia
Status: offline
|
RE: Something a bit different! - 11/11/2005 6:04:03
Hi Rick,
Actually, making sure a background image doesn't repeat isn't limited to 1280 x 1024, there's 1600 x 1200 y'now, and there'll probably be others bigger in the future. Generally i don't use images that will be noticed if they repeat. Normally patters more than images.
Also, and it may not apply in your case, but have you tried increasing text-size over and over, to see if the image starts to repeat? You've chosen a background-image and text colour with enough contrast, but many sites don't consider that "silly people" like me will endlessly increase text size to see what happens to background-images and whether text is still legible when it repeats.
Re: Horizontal scrolling. Mice don't come with a horizontal roller on them (thank goodness), but I use the vertical one on my mouse all the time. The only time I don't use it is if page length is extremely excessive.
I've just finished a very lengthy report into a group of websites an organisation run telling them why their websites are poor, and mostly they just break from what people are used to. People aren't used to horizontal scrolling because it involves doing something that they're not accustomed to.
_____________________________
| |
|
|
|
RickP
Posts: 665
Joined: 11/13/2004
From: Kent, U.K.
Status: offline
|
RE: Something a bit different! - 11/11/2005 9:37:51
quote:
ORIGINAL: Mike54
quote:
Re: Horizontal scrolling. Mice don't come with a horizontal roller on them (thank goodness)
Actually Nicole I discovered yesterday, while playing at Ricks site, that if the page isn't long enough for vertical scrolling the clicking the scroll wheel does in fact initiate horizontal scrolling.
Thumbnail Image
Oh, that's just the special little preloader-ps2mini-mousedriver-module-thingy that I included to make this feature work with mice! - I thought I'd better include such a feature - for those that don't mind a horizontal scrolling page TOOOO much (!) - glad it's working okay!
  
Seriously Nicole, you're right about the increasing resolutions and the problem of having a single image bgnd. As usual, for me, there has to come a point in design where I cater for the majority and accept that there will be a few cases where a feature may not work as intended. One topic on my mind, which I was intending to post on the forum soon, is the subject of setting a max-width to page layout. If this is possible (TO MAKE IT WORK CONSISTENTLY), on pages like this I would set a max-width of 1024 ( a bit under actually) and that would cure the problem of worrying about the relatively few who have a screen res above this.
Thanks for all further input - & thanks Jaybee for the sites sent via PM
_____________________________
Regards, Rick
On-The-Web-Now!
| |
|
|
|
Lily
Posts: 15
Joined: 9/14/2005
Status: offline
|
RE: Something a bit different! - 11/12/2005 13:37:42
I'm not going to be as technical, as I can see that's being dealt with. Just wanted to say I love the background image (I do have a soft spot for sea images) and I also like the horizontal scrolling. Perhaps a minority view here, but for me I liked being encouraged to feel I am walking around an art gallery. Maybe I'm just underprivileged to be living in the back of beyond and don't visit many except when I make the effort and travel!
Best wishes, Lily.
| |
|
|
|
RickP
Posts: 665
Joined: 11/13/2004
From: Kent, U.K.
Status: offline
|
RE: Something a bit different! - 11/12/2005 17:12:42
Two other questions please about this site...
In the 'galleries'...
Do I need to have a text that says "scroll this way etc." ?
Do I need a text that says "click images to enlarge" ?
Do you think that the above two factors are obvious enough for most people or should they be spelt-out?
Thanks
_____________________________
Regards, Rick
On-The-Web-Now!
| |
|
|
|
Nicole
Posts: 2830
Joined: 9/15/2004
From: Nambucca / Kempsey, Australia
Status: offline
|
RE: Something a bit different! - 11/12/2005 17:48:35
Rick,
I use a 17" monitor set at 1280 x 1024 resolution. This is my preference as yours is yours. Some people may choose to use 1600 x 1200 on a 19" screen, and this is of course their choice also.
I don't have the ability to check how my sites appear at higher screen resolutions than the one I currently have set, but if somebody alerts me to a background repeating or some other element that looks odd because on a higher resolution monitor, then I make sure I try and find a fix for it.
Back to the W3Schools stats, I've always doubted that 20% or whatever users they say are using Firefox, I believe it'd be closer to half of that, or even as low as a quarter, but that's still 5%, and if the screen resolution figures are misleading by a half or three quarters, then that still equates to a percentage I'd consider large enough to cater for. It's only when figures state that something is used by less than 1% of viewers that I'd consider it not worth catering for, unless of course that figure is increasing as opposed to decreasing (as 640 x 480 screen resolution and Netscape v4 is).
We're web designers afterall, and clients pay us to design their sites to display the same on as many variations of hardware and software as humanly possible.
We can disagree on this all day, but that's my stance and i'm sticking to it okay!
To your other questions, I'd include both of those notes "click to enlarge" and "scroll to the right" or something similar.
I also wonder what's going to happen when your client decides to add more images, just how far you're prepared to go with horizontal scrolling? We all know sites that scroll endlessly downwards, and whether a page has just gone on too long, but as we're talking outside the norms here, just how much horizontal scrolling is far enough, and should any site navigation be repeated along the way or at the end?
Nicole
_____________________________
| |
|
|
|
RickP
Posts: 665
Joined: 11/13/2004
From: Kent, U.K.
Status: offline
|
RE: Something a bit different! - 11/13/2005 6:02:00
quote:
To your other questions, I'd include both of those notes "click to enlarge" and "scroll to the right" or something similar.
yes, I think that would be best.
quote:
I also wonder what's going to happen when your client decides to add more images, just how far you're prepared to go with horizontal scrolling? We all know sites that scroll endlessly downwards, and whether a page has just gone on too long, but as we're talking outside the norms here, just how much horizontal scrolling is far enough, and should any site navigation be repeated along the way or at the end?
Once again, there is no difference here when compared with a vertically scrolling page - obviously there has to be a limit, taking into consideration page-weight, design appearance, how many screen widths/lengths a page should ideally scroll etc. As with other art sites I've done, the design is pretty much fixed as it is ( as a show case rather than something to be regularly updated ) so it will just be a case of swapping one or two images once in a while.
Thanks again for the input.
_____________________________
Regards, Rick
On-The-Web-Now!
| |
|
 New Messages |
 No New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
 Locked w/ New Messages |
 Locked w/o New Messages |
|
Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts
|
|
|
Printable Version 
