[Web4lib] Nielsen's Top 10 - 2005 version

[ras at anzio.com]

On Wed, 19 Oct 2005, Lynne Puckett wrote:

> Erik,
> The biggest problem with fixed fonts, as far as my aging eyes are concerned,
> are the ones with tiny type that will NOT enlarge in the browser (especially
> if it's IE)...

First, I want to say that philosphically I support putting as much control
as possible in the hands of the user. If they don't know how to size their
window, or set their preferred font size, then that's an opportunity to
help them take control of their computer system for other sites as well.

Now, from the user's perspective. There are a couple of things users can
do to their Windows systems in general to increase visibility:

1. Change the "DPI" of the monitor. If you go to Display Properties, then
Settings, then General (at least on XP), you'll find the DPI setting.
Increasing the DPI setting yields larger text for most Windows display
operations.

2. There is a handy magnifier in Start Menu:All
Programs:Accessories:Accessibility:Magnifier. This opens a magnifier at
the top of the screen, that shows a blowup of the screen area surrounding
your mouse pointer. Besides reading small text, it is useful for seeing
exact pixel content when you're doing various design tasks.

Note that these things are issues for reasons other than aging eyes. Some
display devices are coming out with higher dot density for various
reasons.

Regards,
....Bob Rasmussen,   President,   Rasmussen Software, Inc.

personal e-mail: ras at anzio.com
 company e-mail: rsi at anzio.com
          voice: (US) 503-624-0360 (9:00-6:00 Pacific Time)
            fax: (US) 503-624-0760
            web: http://www.anzio.com
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