why the trend toward fullscreen frustration

[webmonkeymon]

the site of the day is a great site. But it is also an example of a flash trend that drives me nuts. http://www.eyedea.co.uk/

I would like to make it a favorite, but forget it the flash part of the site. (99% of the site) will not let me make this site a favorite. Nor can I click the back button. I have to figure out how to use my own computer for something else. I know enough to press the start key or alt tab on a p.c. but I could see my boss getting very frustrated with this full screen option.

Does anyone else feel this is a bad trend?

[jamble]

I'd have to be honest and say I've not come across a full screen site for a while now They are annoying, no matter how good the site actually is, I almost always close 'em down as they hog all my PC resources and to be honest, many designers don't seem to have taken into account all the extra page space that removing the bars and buttons etc creates so the designs could still fit into a normal browser window anyway.

I have noticed a lot more sites at least offering the option of launching full screen or browsing in a normal window which is much better!

[proton]

Yes - Fullscreen sites peeve me aswell - i only looked at that cos it was the feature, but normally, i would have closed it as soon as i got the fullscreen

[aversion]

i thought full screen sites were on the wane too, i really don't understand why people would want to put their site up in full screen without some sort of option for the user. Whatever your own opinion on full screen sites you will lose a substantial amount of your users because people just do not like it.

web developers are split on the issue and 'normal' users, all the ones that i have watched in testing, hate full screen, it makes them feel stupid because they click on something and they lose control... they either close the window or get frustrated because they don't know how. People who put close window buttons on their full screen sites should take note that i've only seen about 10% of users recognise it's function because of their confusion at this takeover of their screen.

i am not against challenging the user's expectations, especially when it comes to the pre-defined ideas thay have of navigation etc, but the skill of design is to do all this without making them feel like they have failed or making them feel they don't understand something.

some people get full screen design and don't mind it, it may even be a majority of people visiting your web site i don't know, but what i do know is that if you use it you lose a substantial number of your users or make them angry. If this is your aim then go right ahead.

anyway, i guess this has been debated ad nauseum here, just to say that i thought there were less full screen sites around not more

[sizy_one]

yea you have to be careful with full screen. give the customer plenty of options on the first page is the answer, even some hints in full screen mode might be useful!

i agree it can drive you nuts but if i've got plenty of time to wile away full screen modes fine and definately gives me more of a feel for full media interaction. roll on faster downloading and greater bandwidths that will rearly push creativity to the outer limits!