OUGD504- What is the best screen size to design for?

The average size of a web page is around 960 pixels, wheras most screen resolutions are 1024x768 or larger.

U.K Usage 2016, sourced from http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/best-screen-size/

In the UK, a popularity of 1366 x768 Without scrolling, the amount of content on a page will be seriously limited.

Scrolling is always a key consideration. "Users generally didn’t like to scroll – although over the years, that’s changed. In 2016 – users expect to scroll."

Each monitor will display a different amount of content depending on the visitor's screen resolution and the device they are viewing it on. The ammount of information shown on an iPhone 4 screen will differ drastically to that of a desktop computer. 

A typical browser screen resolution is 600 pixels, after this scrolling takes place. The area above this imaginary line is called 'foldfrom newspaper design'. 600 pixels is roughly enough to show the first five search results from Google, or the top three rows of stories on page formats such as the BBC News website. However, the variables the viewer alters (such as what they are viewing it on) can again effect this. Modern phones are becoming larger, whilst modern laptop are becoming smaller. 

Usability guidelines also recommended you consider all three criteria at the full range of sizes, continuously resizing the browser window from 800×600 to 1280×1024.

With this in mind, it is preferable to not restrict the design to one screen size. However, the average web page size is 960 pixels and the average screen width is 1024 pixels.