Don’t Resize My Browser

By
Angie Herrera

As a web developer/designer, I love the Web for many reasons. But I also hate it. Maybe it isn't the Web itself that I hate, but the stupid tricks that other web "professionals" do for many a site. I could give you a huge list of them (and if I haven't already, that's a miracle), but perhaps the #1 annoyance on the web is that maddening little piece of JavaScript that resizes my browser window. The most guilty parties are Flash designers/developers, but I recently experienced it on a non-Flash site (this one, which made it worse since this is a cause I hold dear to my heart). Either way I don't understand why anyone has to resize my browser window for me. It's my browser window after all. Let me have control of it! I'm lucky enough to have one of Apple's glorious 23" cinema displays (the early ones, not the cool silver ones they sell now), so when I get to a site and it resizes my browser to cover my entire screen, it's overwhelming and rather obnoxious. Even on smaller screens I feel this way. While most of this is admittedly nothing but a rant, there is something to consider here. You see, part of the reason the Web is a very unique medium to work in is because the user gets so much control, be it resizing their browser window, changing font sizes, applying their own styles, or simply choosing to leave your site. It's for that reason that so many top ten lists of annoying website tricks exist - because developers and designers too often try to control the user experience by forcing the trivial or the gimmicky. Instead, developers (and folks hiring them) need to learn and have a solid understanding that the end user has a lot of control. Once that becomes clear, we can focus on what really makes a successful website: usability, accessibility and the almighty conversion. But that's a topic for a different day.