RE: UKNM: Stats on screen resolution

[Piers Beckley]

> Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 23:34:15 -0500

>

From: salinka <salinkaearthlink [dot] net>

> Subject: RE: UKNM: Stats on screen resolution

>

>

> Meanwhile, I came up with these links

[snipped]

> which essentially say the same thing

> more or less. The dominant resolution in use is 800x600. I cannot say

> though if these stats are specifically related to the US or

> global. I know

> with respect to the design standard we apply for our clients, we use

> 800x600. However, we do test our designs for 640x480 to

> ensure that they are flexible in lower or higher resolutions. :)


Nota Bene: there are two sources for screen resolution graphics, and one of

them has a problem.


Option One: Subscribe to a technical report from a PC Panel, who will send

you a tech report for PCs connected to their Panel. I know that MediaMetrix

US offers this service, I don't know about other companies - anyone?


Option Two: Use javascript embedded in the page to query screensize/color

depth and send it back to a central server. This is the solution that most

of the research that I have seen uses. The problem is this: the javascript

that is used to report back screen size only works for browsers capable of

Javascript 1.2 - ie only version 4+ browsers with JavaScript switched on.

This test is also unlikely to work on WebTV browsers.


As the reports from option 2 are therefore skewed towards browsers running

on higher-end machines, we can therefore safely assume that the results will

be skewed towards larger screen sizes and color depths


You can use Option 2 stats to find out minimum figures for 640x480 and

256-colour machines. These figures can then be used as a basis for the

_minimum_ number of users with the worst colourdepth/screensize, as we know

that the sample will skew upwards from the minimum.


Oh and don't forget that Option 2 has a further skew - the sample of

machines that you're running the JavaScript test on.


Piers




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