Tickets.com Decides Wide Screen Is Better

Tickets.com Inc.’s recent redesign of its Web site includes a feature that addresses a vexing concern for designers: mainstream consumers who won’t scroll down after calling up a Web site.

Like pioneer online advertisers who found that those new to the Internet had to be told to “Click Here,” site designers have found that if a person doesn’t see it on the screen, they won’t look for it, even if it just means hitting the “Page Down” key.

Like some other major Web sites, Tickets.com has gone to a format that allows the content of its pages to fill the width of the computer screen, as opposed to having a narrower width. Most sites cater to the lowest-common-denominator monitor size of 14 inches.

“Newer online consumers, particularly, tend to look just at what’s on the monitor and not do anything, so there’s a big advantage to show as much on the screen as possible,” said Craig Carlson, director of product development at the Newport Beach firm, which sells tickets to and information about events.