Transcript Using media channels to enhance your SLTA project

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How to write for the web
Russell Warfield,
Sustainability Communications Coordinator
Friday 29 November
Agenda
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Introduction
How do people use websites?
Overview principles of writing for the web
How to edit your copy for the web
Good example
Questions and Answers
How do users read
on the web?
• Simple answer is they don’t!
• They scan instead
• Web users have the mentality
of “don’t make me think”
How do users scan?
• On a first visit users will first
of all glance at the whole
page on view on the monitor
without focussing
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A quirk of some users is they
may quickly scroll to the
bottom and then back to the
top before focussing
How users scan
• The first area a user’s eye will naturally focus upon is
the image (if present), followed by the headline and
then the intro
• However, it is also known for a user to first focus upon
the image but then go straight to the body copy and
miss out the headline and intro paragraph
How users scan
• Next a user will typically
scan the body copy in the
following order
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The headlines
Links and downloads
Bold copy
Lists
Sentences last
(if they reach this level of
engagement with the page)
How users scan
• If a user has engaged
with the page they may
then read all of it.
• Typically though this is
where the journey ends
and the user has taken
less than 20% of the
words in the article.
• They will now look for
links, press the back
button or close the site
down
• All this has taken just
a few seconds
So what do we do?
As a result
Web pages have to employ scannable text, using:
– Highlighted keywords
• bold
• hypertext links serve as another one form of highlighting
- Meaningful and communicative sub-headings (not "clever" ones)
– Bulleted lists
– One idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas
if they are not caught by the first trigger words in the paragraph)
– The inverted pyramid style of writing
• Starting with the conclusion and work back
– Half the word count (or less) than
conventional writing
Editing doesn’t end after the publish
button is clicked
Keep asking yourself:
“Is this clear?”
“Is there a simpler way to say this?”
“Is there a shorter way to say this?”
“Is this even necessary?”
How editing
improves usability
Let’s look at an example…
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized
attractions that draw large crowds of people every
year, without fail. In 2006, some of the most popular
places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000
visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166),
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
(100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the
Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State
Historical Park (28,446).
Usability improvement rating
0% by definition
Concise text version
(with about half the word count as the control condition)
In 2006, six of the best-attended attractions in
Nebraska were Fort Robinson State Park, Scotts Bluff
National Monument, Arbor Lodge State Historical
Park & Museum, Carhenge, Stuhr Museum of the
Prairie Pioneer, and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical
Park.
Usability improvement rating = 58%
Scannable layout version
(using the same text as the control condition in a layout that facilitated scanning)
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized
attractions that draw large crowds of people every year,
without fail. In 2006, some of the most popular places
were:
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Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors)
Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166)
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000)
Carhenge (86,598)
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002)
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446)
Usability improvement rating = 47%
Combined version
(using all three improvements in writing style together: concise, scannable, and objective)
In 2006, six of the most-visited places in
Nebraska were:
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Fort Robinson State Park
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
Carhenge
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
– Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
Usability improvement rating = 124%
To be effective online
• You have to be brutal in editing your
copy offline
– Otherwise you are wasting your time
– On the web, visitors want you to get to the
point
– They’re not on your site to admire fine writing
• If you don’t
– You will be increasing clutter
– Reducing the usability of the website
– Making users think the site doesn’t have content
for them
To be effective online
• Shared/Implied Knowledge
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Don’t take anything for granted
Anticipate the questions people may have
Answer questions they didn’t think to ask
Examine your content in the context of
what your site visitors probably want to do
– Acronyms are dangerous – if in use link
them up to definition
Overview principles of
writing for the web
• Good example
Eyetracking behaviour
Scanable
Skimable
Usable
Appendix
Top tips
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Your audience
Think about your audience first. Who are they?
What are they are visiting the site for?
Think what primary message you want your
audience to learn/remember
Top tips
2 Editing your copy
• Never, EVER, dump copy online that has
specifically been written for print
• Take your offline copy and be brutal in editing
when putting it online
• Look to write all your articles in under 500
words
• Get your “killer content” in the first paragraph
of the body copy
Top tips
3. Formatting your copy
Be straight to the point
Use brief sentences
Use short paragraphs (don’t go over 4 lines of text)
Use the white space (its your best allied)
Use sub-headings to convey a new important message
Use bold text to assist scanability
Use hyperlinks to related information/articles in the body
copy
• Use bullet lists
• End the article with a call to action or links to related
articles on the site
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Any questions?