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Words Matter: Writing for the Web Darlene Fichter Data Library Coordinator, U of S Library January 30, 2004 Overview Writing & Reading for the Web Do’s & Don’ts – – – – – Format Scanning Style Language Jargon Reading & writing Goal is to communicate – Strategy – Key messages – Your audience Rule #1 Write for the way your user's read How do people read on the screen? – Top to bottom – Left to right – Focus first on the micro-content – Scroll to the bottom – Only after failing - side menu - top menu 3 2 1 People read 25% slower on the screen Find Arial or Times Roman fonts at 12 pt the most legible Reading slower: implications for style Be succinct Pyramid style (newspaper) Scanning – lists, lists and more lists Looks a lot like PowerPoint •commercial document delivery services 5 tips 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Strike out useless words. Avoid noun sandwiches. Use “you”. Cut out redundancies. Use simple, short words. Avoid all uppercase words. Instead of Use concerning forward in order to facilitate strategy access (as a verb) assistance construct in the event of about send to help plan get, assist help, aid build if Research shows: DON’T read People who are looking for information don’t read, they scan. If they have to read instructions or help page most people won’t. “Scanability” Headings Lists Create “zones” or areas with blocks of color Use links Effective headings Set styles and stick to them Be consistent – use font and/or color to offset headings Lists, lists and more lists Lists are quick to scan Do not use complete sentences in lists Which is easiest to read? Anatomy Anatomy Biology Biology Biotechnology Biotechnology Chemistry Chemistry Microbiology Microbiology Physics Physics Zoology Zoology 1. White space 2. Bullets Anatomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Microbiology Physics Zoology 3. Neither Which is faster? Why? Books Subjects Art Journals History Geography Mathematics 1 Format Art Books Geography Journals History Maps Mathematics 2 Organizing content for viewing In columns, not rows Categorical not alphabetical Links that work Make the links in your text meaningful Make visited and unvisited links contrast with the base font color. Example of scanning How to Find Information 1. Search the catalogue 2. Browse by subject 3. For e-books, click here 4. Visit our list of web resources 5. Recommended web sites on Sociology Hypertext: classic mistakes No followed link color Links are not underlined Overused – everything is a link Self referential - To start the tour, click here. Use links wisely Hypertext is powerful but can also be distracting Links can help reduce clutter by moving information to separate Web pages But when concentrating on content, people often ignore embedded links Create links that don’t need to be followed Use long descriptive links, captions, or headings so users can eliminate choices UIE’s research shows that links with 4 to 9 words are more effective Review what we know: 1. Writing 2. Scanning 3. Links Tour Some sites – Jot down notes / opinions about the ability to scan and find words quickly – If you focus on the writing and content which are the strengths and weaknesses? Language Use the language of your users Ambiguity is a problem Provide context Classic mistakes on library sites Library sites are full of jargon –WinSPIRS –EbscoHost –Access –Database –Gateway –Services –Electronic Reserves “Serial failure” Finding articles Many studies – Don’t know “database” – Names of database – Software product – Ovid, Webspirs Labels are challenging Testing helps Use a “cookie test” Create a list of possible labels: – – – – My Account Borrower Information Library Card Your Library Card Go where your users are Your lunch room or hallways at lunch break Aim for cross-section Ask which they prefer Reverse Study: Take a few concepts and ask them what they would call the item or group of items? Other important writing tasks Errors – Should stand out from other text – Should be comprehensible 404 not found ? Things to avoid “Marketese” – Anything that sounds like “advertising” is a complete turn off … the best, the biggest … The “Buzz”: reusability Write once, use many times Device independent access Break content in small nuggets Assemble to suit – – – – Web Pages WAP Headline Services Alerts Myths & ironies Everyone owns a “printing press” Explosion of publishing Dirth of “good writing” Need good writers’ that can create concise and interesting headlines Secret to good wired writing Observe and learn Write often Revise, revise and revise Read the usability studies and research reports Good news for librarians Some of it comes naturally – – – – Group and categorize Assign labels Think about words & meaning Service oriented Sites for web writing Writing for the Web – Jakob Nielsen http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/ Good Documents: How to write for the INTRAnet http://www.gooddocuments.com/ Yale’s Web Style Guide: Editorial http://info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual/pages/editorial_style.html Software Usability Research Laboratory Newsletter http://www.usabilitynews.org National Cancer Institute Usability.gov http://www.usability.gov/ Books, columns & sites Writing and Usability – http://library.usask.ca/~fichter/writing/ Thank you! Questions? Darlene Fichter University of Saskatchewan Libraries library.usask.ca/~fichter/
