Prioritizing Web Usability
Nielsen and Loranger
Chapter 8: Writing For The Web
Paul Ammann
http://cs.gmu.edu/~pammann/
SWE 432
Design and Implementation of Software for the Web
Overview
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How Poor Writing Makes Web Sites Fail
Understanding How Web Users Read
Writing For Your Reader
Formatting Text for Readability
Writing Skills Really Are Important
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How Poor Writing Makes Web Sites Fail
• Disorganized, Poorly Written Content Makes Users
Unable To Complete Basic Web Tasks
• Users Tend To Trust Sites They Understand
– Hence, They Come Back!
• Eye Studies Show That For Online News
– Headlines And Text Are Noticed Before Images
• Example: Heart Association Stress Test Description
– Good Description For Intended Audience
– But Try Clicking on “Stress Test”!
– Politics Can Interfere With Good Writing: Stem Cell Research
• Is Intent Educational or Political?
• What About Words Like “Pluripotent”?
Write Specifically For Your User’s Task
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Understanding How Web Users Read
• Information Seeking Strategies Save Users Time
– Users Look For Cues That Answer Is Nearby
– Users Ignore Most Everything Else
– Users Punish Web Sites That Frustrate Strategies
• Why Users Scan
– Efficient Method To Identify Valuable Content
– Users Parse Many Sources Of Potential Information
• Tip: Hire A Web Writer
– Anyone Can Write, But Only Some Write Well
• Check Grammar And Tighten Content
– Would You Do Your Own Plumbing or Wiring?
Reading The Web Is Not Like Reading A Book
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Writing For Your Reader
• To Succeed, You Must Know Your Audience’s
– Interests, Culture, Needs, and Limitations
• Tip: Know Your Audience
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IT Professionals?
Teenagers?
Parents?
Niche Group?
• Three Guidelines for Better Web Writing
– Skip The Jargon: San-Diego-Vision (2002)
• What is “Practice Information”?
– Avoid Acronyms
– Bar Sarcasm, and Cliches
Every Audience Is Different
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Writing For Your Reader(2)
• Use Simple Language
– Example: “Causes Cancer” vs. “Carcinogenic”
– Simpler Words, Fewer Syllables, Shorter Sentences
• Meeting Low Literacy Needs
– Many People Have Low (Below 8th Grade) Literacy
• Even In Industrialized Countries!
– Sweden (2003): 28% At Low Literacy
– US (2003): 46% At Low Literacy
– Most Users Prefer Clear Simple Language
• Low Literacy Users Need Clear Simple Language
– Guidelines For General Sites
• 6th Grade Level For Home Pages
• 8th Grade Level For Interior Pages
Concrete Advice, But Takes Effort To Follow
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Writing For Your Reader(3)
• Tone Down Marketing Hype
– Example: Accenture
• Tip: When and Where to Toot Your Horn
– Reference Third Parties (eg. JD Power or Nobel Committee)
– Collect Accolades in “About Us” Sections
• Summarize Key Points and Pare Down
– Start With Conclusion, Then Provide Support
• “Inverted Pyramid” Structure
– Don’t Bread Document With “Continue Reading” Link
• Instead, Identify Content On Linked Page
• Interesting Example: NIH Stroke Rehabilitation
– What is the Reading Level?
Giving The Reader What They Need
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Writing For Your Reader(4)
• Writing Samples: Before and After
– Consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages
within and among the basic food groups while choosing foods
that limit the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol,
added sugars, salt, and alcohol.
– Eat a variety of foods from each of the basic food groups.
Limit saturated and trans fats, added sugars, salt, and alcohol
in your diet.
• Keeping It Short and Sweet
– Pretty Good Example: US Customs and Border Patrol
• Consider Complex Regulations
• What About Rotating Menu?
• Fonts and PDFs
If The Feds Can Do It, So Can You!
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Formatting Text For Readability
• Making Usability Skyrocket
– 1988 Study By Nielsen
– Two Versions Of B2B White Paper: Original vs. Web-Ready
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Task Completion Rate Improved 80%
80% Fewer Errors
Recall of Twice As Many Facts
37% Higher Subjective Satisfaction
– Think About This The Next Time You Want To Post A PDF
• Highlight Keywords
– As Opposed To Entire Sentences or Long Phrases
Transforming Information to Web-Information
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Formatting Text For Readability(2)
• Use Concise and Descriptive Titles and Headings
– Don’t Make Users Scan Through Noise
• Three Guidelines for Heading Hierarchy
– Main Headings Should Appear Larger and Bolder
– Sub Headings Should Be Smaller, But Still Stand Out
– Left-Justify Headings
• Use Bulleted and Numbered Lists
– Much Easier To Scan Than InLine Lists
– 47% Speed Improvement
• Keep Paragraphs Short
Formatting Clues Speed Scans
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Formatting Text For Readability(3)
• Top Seven Guidelines for Presenting Lists
– Use Vertical Lists (Especially With 4 or More Items)
– Introduce List With Clear Descriptive Phrase
– Indent Vertical Lists and Begin Run In Under Text, Not Under
Bullet
– Don’t Leave Too Much Space Between Bullet and Text
– When Possible, Omit Articles and Repetitive Words From The
Beginning Of List Items
– Use Parallel Phrasing For Each Item
– Don’t Overuse Lists
There Is Lots Of Technical Support For This
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Formatting Text For Readability(4)
• Parallel Phrasing Is Important
– Non Parallel
• Find Out What’s New
• How Other People In Their Age Group Are Doing
• Contests
– Parallel
• Find Out What’s New
• See What Other People In Their Age Group Are Doing
• Enter Contests
There Is Not Technical Support For This
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