Eoghan and Dave have created an amazing statistical tool to get "Actual Browser Sizes". Their new product is called FoldSpy - and it's free.
Anyone who remembers the "Actual Browser Sizes" report knows that being able to determine the size of browser windows is very important. You cannot just design for e.g. 1024x768, because no browser has that size. People might not browse in a maximized window and many people have installed extra toolbars and sidebars - all of which take away huge chunks of your beloved screen size.
What you want to know is the actual window size that people can see without scrolling, and where to place important elements so that they are visible at all times (ads, menu items, featured things - you name it).
In the past you could read my report and get a somewhat vague idea of what sizes you need to support. Now you can simply install FoldSpy and get accurate and specific browser size statistics for your site. No more guessing - you can see exactly what sizes to support to e.g. reach 95% of your visitors.
But, here is the best part, and the part that really astounded me when I first saw this in May. Instead if displaying the stats in a table and with graphs - FoldSpy will overlay the statistics directly on your site. You can see - LIVE - what parts of the screen people can see, and what they cannot.
Here is a short screen cast from FoldSpy (it is usable for more than positioning ads):
It is absolutely brilliant!
Note: A tip. If you decide to use FoldSpy, let it gather data for a few months before making any design decisions. Allow the system to gather enough data to reach a statistical significant level.
Note: FoldSpy doesn't have a Privacy Statement (at least not yet). But, I expect them to be the decent kind of chaps who will protect you and your visitor's browser data.
So glad you like it, Thomas. And more importantly, that you really understand it!
On the privacy policy side of things, we should have a more obvious note. But for what it's worth, we would never, ever abuse people's details (send spam, share addresses or data).
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Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 
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Interesting, definitely worth signing up for. Excellent Find!