Don’t Design for Full Screen

Stop making your websites go to full screen automatically! I mean it. Stop it.

People do not take into consideration how different website users set up their operating system, software and hardware.

First, making a window auto maximize without giving the user the option to do it or not is irritating.

Second, making a window auto maximize without giving the user notification what will be happening is inconsiderate.

Third, not every user has a single monitor. Many users have set ups with multiple monitors. It allows them to work on more than one application at a time more efficiently. When a window goes to full screen, it spans all monitors—not just one. Since most full screen designs are centred horizontally and vertically, the content ends up being split evenly between both screens, with the left half being on the left monitor and the right half on the right monitor. If the first two issues I listed above were irritating and inconsiderate, this issue is very irritating and very inconsiderate.

Don’t make designs that expand to full screen automatically. Give the user a choice. If you have to make it full screen, at least learn how to constrain it to a single monitor.

By Kim Siever

I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business. Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.

3 comments

  2. At least most designers that do this make the browser window resiseable. Unfortunately I had one the other day that did not. I ended up having to close the site and missed out on the resources that were available there.

  3. I second that vote for user-control. I am of the exagerated persuasion that misused scripting is of the devil. On a lighter note: well said Kim!

    /danny

Comments are closed.