1. Writing for the Wired World
Skolen på internettet, Nyborg
April 24, 2003
Darlene Fichter
University of Saskatchewan
library.usask.ca/~fichter/

2. Overview Writing & Reading for the Web Do’s & Don’ts Format Scanning
Style
Language
Jargon

3. Reading & Writing Goal is to communicate Strategy Key messages
Your audience

4. School Web Site Audience
Focused on getting the job done
Diverse
Experience
Novice to expert
Usage patterns
Occasional to daily
Tasks & domain knowledge
Teachers & staff
Parents
Students

5. How Users Read on Screens
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

6. People Read: 25% slower on the screen
Find Arial or Times Roman fonts at 12 pt the most legible

7. Research Shows: DON’T Read
People who are looking for information don't READ, they scan.
If they have to read a help page, most won’t.
Readers understand more when reading less.

8. “Scanability” Create headings and subheadings Be consistent
use font and/or color to emphasize headings

9. Reading Slower: Implications for Style
Be succinct
Pyramid style (newspaper)
Scanning – lists, lists and more lists

10. 5 Tips Strike out useless words. Avoid noun sandwiches. Use “you.”
Adjectives and superlatives
Avoid noun sandwiches.
Targeted budget planning committee proposal
Use “you.”
Cut out redundancies.
Use simple, short words.

11. Short Form Long Form concerning about forward send in order to to
facilitate
help
strategy
plan
access (as a verb)
get, assist
assistance
help, aid
construct
build
in the event of if

12. Pyramid Style Write like a newspaper article Start with the conclusion
Have a good headline

13. Rule of Thumb: 50%
½ the word count of conventional writing

14. Headings & Subheadings
Rule of Thumb
Emphasis – “rule of thumb” one at a time. Bold or size.
Eyes are tuned to small differences.
No need to SHOUT at users.

15. Punch Up Headlines Make every heading word meaningful
Make sure the 1st headline or title on page summarizes the content
Separate sections with 2nd level headings
3 levels on one page is about all the reader can grasp

16. Use Lists Use lists or tables
Use bullets when sequence doesn’t matter, and use numbers when it does
Lists speed up scanning but slow down reading
Use lists when you have key concepts, not full sentences

17. Which is easiest to read? Research says…
Anatomy
Biology
Biotechnology
Chemistry
Microbiology
Physics
Zoology
Anatomy
Biology
Biotechnology
Chemistry
Microbiology
Physics
Zoology
Anatomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Microbiology Physics Zoology
1. White space Bullets & white No space
space & no bullets

18. Which is faster? Why? Subjects Types Books Art Journals Biology
Mathematics
Newspapers
Subjects Types
Art Books
Biology Journals
Mathematics Newspapers 1 2
Art
Biology
Mathematics
Books
Journals
Newspapers 3

19. Organizing Content for Viewing
In columns, not rows
Categorical, not alphabetical
Subjects Type
Art Books
Biology Journals
History Maps
Mathematics Newspapers

20. Scan for Links Make the links in your text meaningful.
Make visited and unvisited links contrast with the base font color.

21. Example of Scanning Staff Directory Search Search by last name.
Browse staff by school.
List all by classes taught, click here.

22. Scanning a Home Page

23. Hypertext: Classic Mistakes
Overused – everything is a link.
Used for key concepts instead of lists or headings based on the belief.
Often the link is referenced itself interrupting the reader’s thoughts. To start the tour, click here.

24. 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
TIP: Don’t use embedded links for important navigational choices.

25. 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

26. Tour
5 sites
Jot down notes / opinions about the ability to scan and find words quickly
Which sites work best? Why?
Which sites don’t work as well? Why?

27. 1. Woodmoor Elementary

28. 2. North Beach Elementary School

29. 3. University Library

30. 4. Ysgol Llandrillo-yn-Rhos

31. Which Site Worked Best? 2 1 3 4

32. Language Use the language of your users Ambiguity is a problem
Provide context

33. Classic Mistakes on School & Library Sites
School sites are full of jargon.
SATS
Curriculum
WinSPIRS
EbscoHost
Access
Diary
Prospectus
Gateway
Services
Grassroots

34. Example

36. Labels are Challenging
Testing helps
Use a “cookie test”
Create a list of possible labels:
Staff
Teachers
Instructors
Classroom Teachers

37. Go Where Your Users Are Your lunch room or hallways for students
Aim for cross-section
Ask which they prefer
Different Approach: Take a few concepts and ask them what they would call the item or group of items?

38. Other Important Writing Tasks
Errors
Should stand out from other text
Should be comprehensible
404 not found ?

39. Errors – Make Them Visible

40. Things to Avoid ““Marketese”
Anything that sounds like “advertising” is a complete turn off … the best, the biggest …
Be objective and factual.

41. Secret to Good Wired Writing
Write often
Revise, revise and revise
Recognize good writing and copy the style
Read the usability studies and research reports

42. Good News for Teachers & Librarians
Some of it comes naturally
Work with words
Think about how to communicate information all the time
Competent at organizing information for learning in the classroom or in a library
Service oriented

43. Books, Columns & Reference Sites
Writing

44. Thank you! Questions? Darlene Fichter
University of Saskatchewan Libraries
library.usask.ca/~fichter/