Transcript Writing for the Web - MD ColdFusion User's Group

E-writing Tips to Improve Your
Site
Presentation for MDCFUG
June 12, 2001
Marilynne Rudick, E WRITE
www.ewriteonline.com
[email protected]
phone:301-986-9627
What is the purpose of your
website?
 Distribute
print material quickly
 Create original content for online readers
Behavior of web users
 Busy
 Impatient
 Goal
oriented --go to a site for a specific
purpose (96% of the time)*
*Jakob Nielsen, www.useit.com
Behavior of web users
 Attracted
first to text (78%) then graphics
(22%)*
 Hunt, then gather
 Users hopscotch between sites (interlaced
browsing)
– Leave and return frequently
– Leave and don’t return
How is reading onscreen
different from reading print?
 Reading
onscreen is nonlinear
 Reading onscreen is slower
 Reading onscreen causes fatigue
 Reading onscreen involves
scrolling/clicking
 Readers see less text onscreen
 Readers skim online text
What does this mean for online
writers?
 Must
write so readers can quickly and
easily accomplish their goal (find what they
are looking for)
 Must accommodate the
limitations/attributes of the screen
Traits of a well-written web site
1. Reader oriented
2. Helps users navigate the site
3. Provides information in different amounts
for different users
4. Organized in nonlinear structure
5. Uses hypertext links effectively
Traits of a well-written web site
6. Easy to scan
7. Concisely written
8. Establishes credibility
1. Reader oriented
 Focuses
on what the user wants to know,
not what you know about the organization
 Answers reader question
– NOT mission statement, organizational chart
2. Helps users navigate the site
 Organizes
information in logical groups
 Home page indicates site content and
organizational structure
 Provides signposts--graphics and text
– page titles
– uniform graphic design
– logos, icons
3. Provides information in
different amounts and forms
 Provides
bite, snack and meal to
accommodate the appetites of different
users
– message heads
– summary
– full text
4. Organized in nonlinear
structure
 Reader
controls the order of information
 No beginning, middle or end
 Each page must stand alone
5. Uses hypertext links
effectively
 To
write for a variety of users
 To write concisely
 To accommodate nonlinear structure
How do you write good hypertext
links?
 Links
are imbedded in the text
– Tell the reader where he is going and what he
will find: In the 1930s black stunt pilots
performed at numerous air shows.
– Not: Click here.
– Key words or phrase on landing page confirm
that reader has arrived at destination.
How do you write good hypertext
links?
 Use
links judiciously. Don’t link just
because you can.
6. Easy to scan
79% of web readers always scan; 16% read
word-for-word*
– Lead with main idea--first paragraph, first
screen
– Use topic sentences
– Provide reader aids:
» message heading
» bulleted lists
» highlight key words
7. Concisely written
 Write
short--paragraphs, sentences, pages
lines
 Keep transitions short, or cut them
 Organize information in short chunks
 Use hypertext links to provide more
information
 White space to show organization
8. Establishes credibility
 Contains
up-to-date information
 Mechanically correct (no grammar, spelling
errors)
 Provides references and sources
 Links to credible organizations
 Written in informational, not “inflated”
style
Concise, scannable, credible text
increases usability
1. Concise writing increases usability 58%
2. Scannable text increases usability
47%
3. Credibility increases usability 27%
All 3 increase usability 124%*