User interface question. I am building a music album search engine.

Question

There will be a thumbnail as a left float, followed by the title and description as a left float.

``````````  BEATLES
``````````  DescriptionDescriptionDescription
``````````  DescriptionDescription...
``````````
``````````

``````````  COLDPLAY
``````````  DescriptionDescriptionDescription
``````````  DescriptionDescription...
``````````
``````````

``````````  MOZART
``````````  DescriptionDescriptionDescription
``````````  DescriptionDescription...
``````````
``````````

Would you align the results on the left of the page? Or in the middle of the page? Traditional search engines align to left, but it seems like "music/media" related sites like Youtube align in the center.

Please give your reasons and details. Thanks!

Answer 1

middle page looks better

Answer 2

Change things up a little and align to the right.

Answer 3

Usability tests in general show that shorter columns of text are more readable. Short columns of text that are left-aligned are ugly.

Ergo, you should center your results to facilitate a narrower reading area, and shorter lines in your description text, without the list being ugly.

Answer 4

There is no right or wrong answer to that. All I can say is, that a fixed width layout usually looks nicer when centered.

But before you decide on whether to use a centered layout or not, you should think about who will be using the site and for what will they be using it. If it is meant to be used as a quick way to look up some information about an artist/composer (like a dictionary/encyclopaedia), a fluid, minimal layout and interface might be better.

Answer 5

You could have it so that the user can select where the results are aligned.

Answer 6

If you are using fixed width or margins, left align can make it easier for the users to resize the window width when they need to (e.g., to view other windows along side). With a single drag of the right window edge, they can shrink the window to show the thumbnail and name, allowing them the scan for albums while taking the least screen space. In some center align implementations, the user has to drag the window edge then scroll horizontally, creating more work.