Usability and Usability and Writing For The Writing For The

WebWeb

Marie K. ShanahanQuinnipiac University

Summer 2011

Information nowadays…

is abundant, digital, interactive and mostly free.

Journalists who wish to remain relevant need to be able to tell stories on digital platforms in an interactive way.

Traditional linear formats are not successful online.

Traditionally, the news media was a system of “one to

many.”

Image courtesy of photoxpress.com

Now it is a system of many to many.

Traditional distribution methods

New Distribution Methods

Traditional tools of the trade

New tools of the trade

Why do people visit a Why do people visit a website? website?

Problem Solving

Most people visit a website because they want or need one or more of the following:

Information To be entertained - diversion To connect with others Commerce - make purchase or donation

- Vincent Flanders, webpagesthatsuck.com

““Too many organizations believe Too many organizations believe that a web site is about opening a that a web site is about opening a new marketing channel or getting new marketing channel or getting donations or to promote a brand. donations or to promote a brand. No. It’s about solving your No. It’s about solving your customers’ problems.”customers’ problems.”

- Vincent Flanders, webpagesthatsuck.com- Vincent Flanders, webpagesthatsuck.com

What makes for aWhat makes for a good website? good website?

The most popular sites have…

Pages that load fast

Reliable search function

Layouts that are easy to navigate

Unobtrusive advertising

Information that caters to intended audience

The best websites fulfill users expectations with least amount of stress.

Content is king

The single most important thing most Web sites can offer to their users is content that those users will find valuable.

Information is what drives web sites. Any site must begin with engaging content.

You have 90 seconds

Every human being has his/her own distinct thought processes to take him/her from POINT A to POINT B.

People make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing.

Don’t Make Me Think

Be as obvious as possible

Consistency – uniform layouts

Keywords

The web The web is a is a

visual visual medium.medium.

Visual functionality

On a web page, successful communication is influenced by:

Text on the screen

Page layout

Images: graphics and photos

Color

Psychology of Color“Vision is the primary source

for all our experiences.”

“We become bored in the absence of a variety of colors and shapes… Color addresses one of our basic neurological needs for stimulation.”

- Jill Morton, “Why Color Matters” (2005)

Satisfaction or irritation?

If visitors feel like they have a “sense of mastery” over a web site, they will achieve their goals and find satisfaction with the experience.

But if visitors find a web page confusing and difficult to use, many will click away, feeling irritated and unfulfilled.

Different expectations

In linear media (print or broadcast) people expect you to construct their experience for them. Readers/views are willing to follow the author's lead.

On the non-linear web, users want to construct their own experience by piecing together content from multiple sources, emphasizing their desires in the current moment.

Individuality rules Individuality rules online.online.

Consumers are in Consumers are in control.control.

Web habits

Scanning and searching Loyalty only to the page where they

started Rarely do web users start and end

sessions in the same place Users stick with one site as long

as it delivers what they are looking for.

Reading on a Reading on a computer is tiresome. computer is tiresome.

Image courtesy of photoxpress.com

Users aren’t really “reading”

People scan pages, using their visual brains.

Provide visual hierarchy on a web page with text size, color, emphasis.

Prominence“The more important something is, the more

prominent it is. For instance, the most important headings are either

larger, bolder, in a distinctive color,

set off by more white space,

nearer the top of the page, or some combination of the above.” – Steve Krug, ‘Don’t Make Me Think’

EyetrackingEyetracking

Images from www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

Eyetracking

Graphics from poynterextra.org

“Inverted pyramid” style of writing works very well on the web.

Inverted Pyramid

Graphic from: http://www.district196.org

Get to the point

Put your text on a diet

79% of web users scan any new page for individual words and sentences.

Only 16 percent read it word-for-word.

Use half the word count of conventional writing.

Targets

Headlines – less than 8 words

Sentences – less than 20 words

Paragraphs – less than 70 words

Pages – less than 400 words

Readability on the web

Highlighted keywords

Bulleted lists One idea per paragraph Make hyperlinks part of the copy

Subheads

Divide up information into logical segments or chunks

Don’t disorient me

The computer screen provides a limited view of long documents.

Long web pages tend to disorient readers.

Long web pages require users to scroll and remember what is off-screen.

Chunking helps to orient users.

Hyperlink.Hyperlink.Hyperlink.Hyperlink.Hyperlink.Hyperlink.

Transparency = credibility

Hyperlinking Best Practices

Never construct a sentence around a link phrase, such as “click here for more information.“

Write as you normally would. Place the link on the words that best describe the additional content.

Examples

Poor: Click here for more information on placing links within your text.

Better: Avoid problems with Web links by managing their placement within the context of your document.

Search engines can lead people to your information.

SEO / Headlines

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.

Headlines should be Search Engine Optimized.

Include obvious keywords that people would use to search.

Headlines: Obvious = Better

Online, headlines alone must provide enough “information scent” to let users predict what they'll get if they click.

Usually, nothing else explains a story's content.

Headlines should be meaningful.

-Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox

Other stylistic considerations

Cultivate a voice. Web readers welcome a measure of individuality from their information sources.

With so many competing sources, a unique conversational voice may help distinguish your pages.

The Manolo says…

“Do not be afraid to be different. In fact, being different it is the advantage in the marketplace where there are fifty thousand new blogs on the topic you have chosen.”

- http://shoeblogs.com/

Active Voice

Food packages will be distributed by the organization’s volunteers. (passive)

Volunteers will distribute food packages. (active)

Volunteers will hand out food. (active, short, conversational)

Users expect to be able to read, listen, watch, choose, click and/or

participate.

Visualize your readers

Always keep your audience in mind before and during your

writing.

Writing method

Write Read Cut Set aside Cut more Proofread Post

After you post

Twitter Facebook Share with sources Share with topic “influencers”