The web user reads in a totally different way to how to read on paper. So it stands to reason that the spelling on the web must be modified to adapt to these user attitudes. Here is a small guide that will help you develop your content taking into account these premises.
Jakob Nielsen is one of the gurus of internet usability worldwide. Its premises are followed by those who want to make efficient web texts are characterized by brevity and to facilitate visual scanning of the page.
Jakob Nielsen bases its success on a few assumptions that we will discuss in this article, but underlying all of them is the simplicity and common sense.
The low resolution of the screens, more difficult to perceive the text, by reading this website is done differently than on paper. Users do not read long texts, but that scroll across the screen with the view. As a result of all this we must emphasize several points:
- The user's attention is dispersed
- They do not read long texts
- Reading speed decreases
Therefore, it is very important to know the key that can help us to focus the user's attention when visiting your website.
- Write for "screen scan"
- Short and simple text
- Use resources such as bold, colors, font size, etc.
- Write the conclusion at the beginning
Writing for the "screen scan"
We should highlight our important messages using the methods available for us:
- Bold
- Using vignettes
- Font size
- Color change
- Section titles and headlines interspersed
Short, simple texts
According to usability gurus and according to Nielsen web particularly be reduced to at least half the text you would use in a publication NO web. We write short paragraphs about three maximum sentences.
Besides prayers should be very simple and direct style, we must develop complicated expressions to disperse the meaning of our message.
The conclussion at the beginning
Nielsen talks about a very interesting concept and is the "inverted pyramid". The user gets more attention at first reading and that is where you decide whether or not read. We take our first words to give the user the conclusions of our article from the beginning.
This type of structure is opposite to what is written on paper, but experience shows that users decide whether to continue reading or not a web page itervalo about 8 seconds. This time is so short that we need to get the attention from the first moment.
The recommended structure in a web text would be:
- Conclusion
- Argument that support the conclussion
- Links to other pages, additional content that can help and provide more info, etc...
Add new comment