Talk to any number of web designers and you will get varying responses on how wide the optimum web design should be. Google has provided a nifty tool for viewing your web site under various browser widths. It’s called Browser Size and is produced by Google Labs. The following link will get you there.
http://browsersize.googlelabs.com/
The page opens with a generic web page and an overlaid graphic of various browser height and width settings. The graphic overlay is semi-transparent so you can see the web page underneath. By examining where the height and width borders intersect the design underneath you can see what percentage of people can view which part of the design without vertical or horizontal scrolling.
Enter URL here
Next to the Google Labs – Browser Size branding in the top left you’ll notice a text field with the text “Enter URL here”. Enter the URL of your own web site to view it underneath the graphic overlay instead of the generic web page.
Where does the data come from?
According to the About Browser Size page, the data has been collected from everyone that visits the Google web site. That’s a pretty big sampling.