Penn State Learning Design Community Hub

The Best Choice...according to the experts

Morkes and Nielsen (1997) — "Studies of how users read on the Web found that they do not actually read: instead, they scan the text. A study of five different writing styles found that a sample Web site scored 58% higher in measured usability when it was written concisely, 47% higher when the text was scannable."

• Assume that readers will scan pages quickly instead of carefully readng paragraphs
• Include visual organizational devices such as
  • list bullets
  • headers and subheaders
  • numbered sections
  • tables
  • bold face or strong text
  • colored text
  • additional punctuation
• Write so that paragraphs take up only a few lines of text.
• Discuss the content outline with several potential users.
• Include "advanced organizers" like a table of contents or short summary at the top of the page
• Make sure the Page Layout includes enough white space

Rationale

Scanning on the Web vs. Reading

The most important aspect of a Web page is the content: the information provided on a Web page. When viewing content on the Web, users:

1. do not read; instead they scan the pages, trying to pick out a few sentences or even parts of sentences to get the information they want,
2. users do not like long, scrolling pages: they prefer the text to be short and to the point, and
3. users typically dislike "marketing fluff" or overly hyped language (Morkes & Nielsen, 1997).

To write for the Web

1. Create scannable text
2. Chunk information
3. Use factual information
4. Be concise (move less important material from top-level pages to secondary pages)
5. Write less (convert print to Web by reducing by at least 50%)
6. Write in an objective style instead of promotional
7. Make content easy to find by inserting search engines
8. Convert technical material to plainer English.

Design with the user in mind

The Web is a highly interactive and user-driven medium. Accordingly, Web writers should keep user needs, preferences, and reading strategies at the forefront of their design (Howles, no date).

Discuss the content outline with several potential users

The Web is a user-driven medium; therefore, designers should consider discussing the content outline with several potential users. "Listen closely to the questions these people have about your content material. then incorporate the user's perspective to the content in the site's design" (Howles, no date).

Use advanced organizers

• Advanced organizers or "top level summaries" provide a synopsis or quick overview of the ensuring or following information and allows the reader to decide whether the document contains the information that he/she needs.
• A quick scroll is an advanced organizer where an introductory list is created at the top of a Web page with hyperlinks to the corresponding content.
• Advanced organizers contribute to improved comprehension, retention, and learning (Howles, on date).

Basic Information

Scannable text:

1. Users primarily scan pages for the information they need; therefore, it is best to design a Web site with scannable text (Morkes & Nielsen, 1997).
2. Scannable text includes:
   • highlighted keywords (variations of typeface (fonts), style (e.g., italics), color, and hypertext links),
   • meaningful sub-headings (not "clever" ones),
   • bulleted lists and tables,
   • one idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are interested by the first few words in the paragraph),
   • the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion, and
   • half the word count (or less) than conventional writing.

Guidelines to structure your text presentations

Here is an outline you would follow structure your text presentations:

• List objective(s).
• List advanced organizer.
• Use titles to divide major sections.
• Use headings to sub-divide a major section.
• Text body should be divided into paragraphs with plenty of white space. Avoid small font sizes (below 12 point).
  • Use short sentences.
  • Apply bolding to emphasize key points/words.
  • Use color for emphasis. Make sure there is a high degree of contrast between the foreground and background colors.
• Use questions periodically to point readers to the key places in the text.
• Summarize the text, including all key points.

Converting from Written Text to Online Text

The following example shows how a block of instructional text can be reformatted to be more scannable in an online format. The same text is used to show you how to break down text for a hypertext environment.

Written Version (Skip to Online Version)

The following excerpt is from an article on Celtic languages by Pyatt (1997). This is meant for an academic audience and so includes technical vocabulary.

Origin and Distribution of Celtic Languages

Proto-Celtic (or "Common Celtic") is said to have developed around the end of the 2nd millennium BC. Once Proto-Celtic developed, I assume that the first branch to develop independently was Celtiberian in Spain. Because the later Celtic branches come from a central or "Nuclear" Celitc family, the term "Proto-Celtic" can refer to just this branch [minus Celtiberian].

Sometime before the Roman Conquest of Gaul, "Nuclear" Celtic had split into the three main branches of Celtic – Brythonic, Goedelic and Continental. At the time of the early Roman era, Proto-Brythonic was spoken primarily in Britain, Proto-Goedelic in Ireland and the Continental languages were spoken in different location in Europe and Asia including Gaulish (France, Northern Italy), Lepontic (Northern Italy) and Galatian (Turkey). Meanwhile Celtiberian, the group that had earlier split from Common Celtic was spoken in Northern Spain. All these languages were attested, but the texts are limited to inscriptions and short documents (the longest being one to two tablets).

During the Roman Empire, linguists generally assume that Continental Celtic speaking populations gradually transition to Latin or Greek except in Britain and Ireland where the Celtic languages remained. The collapse of the Roman Empire led to a series of migrations which redistributed the speakers of the Brythonic and Goedelic branches. Proto-Goedelic developed into Primitive Irish (ca. 200-600 AD) which was attested in about 1,000 Ogam memorial stones. After Primitive Irish came Archaic Irish (ca. 600-700), Old Irish (700-900), Middle Irish (900-1200) and Early or "Classical" Modern Irish. Beginning in the 6th century AD, Archaic Irish speakers established colonies in the Highlands of Scotland and the Isle Man. Until the 17th century, these regions were seen as dialects of one "Irish" language spoken in three areas, but later these forms developed into the national languages of Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx.

Back in Great Britain, invasions from the Western Germanic tribal ancestors of the current English population caused Proto-Brythonic speakers to migrate west to Wales and Cornwall. In about the 5th century AD, Brythonic speakers from Cornwall resettled the coastal area of France now known as Brittany. The Brythonic dialects of Wales, Cornwall and Brittinay developed into the daughter languages of Welsh, Cornish and Breton. Note that Breton is classified within the Brythonic branch even though it is spoken in what was once Gaul (Continental).

—Pyatt (1997)

Online Version

The online version shortens the text, bold faces keywords and adds section headers. Because online materials are generally for non-academic audiences, many phrases discussing extraneous details have been eliminated and technical vocabulary reduced.

Origin and Distribution of Celtic Languages

Proto-Celtic is said to have developed around the end of the 2nd millennium BC. The first branch to split off was Celtiberian in Spain, leaving a central or "Nuclear" Celitc family.

Roman Era

By the Roman Conquest of Gaul, "Nuclear" Celtic had split into the three main branches – Brythonic, Goedelic and Continental. At the time of the early Roman era,

• Proto-Brythonic was spoken in Britain,
• Proto-Goedelic in Ireland and
• Continental languages were spoken in different areas in Europe and Asia including Gaulish (France, Northern Italy), Lepontic (Northern Italy) and Galatian (Turkey). Speakers gradually switch to Latin and Greek
• Celtiberian, the group that had earlier split from Common Celtic was spoken in Northern Spain. Speakers gradually switch to Latin.

All these languages were attested, but the texts are limited to inscriptions and short documents. Later in the Roman Empire, Continental Celtic speaking populations gradually transition to Latin or Greek except in Britain and Ireland where the Celtic languages survived.

The collapse of the Roman Empire led to a series of migrations which redistributed the speakers of the Brythonic and Goedelic branches.

Goedelic Branch (Ireland)

• Proto-Goedelic developed into Primitive Irish (ca. 200-600 AD) which was attested in about 1,000 Ogam memorial stones.
• Archaic Irish (ca. 600-700),
• Old Irish (700-900),
• Middle Irish (900-1200)
• and Early or "Classical" Modern Irish.

Beginning in the 6th century AD, Archaic Irish speakers established colonies in the Highlands of Scotland and the Isle Man. Until the 17th century, these regions were seen as dialects of one "Irish" language spoken in three areas, but later these forms developed into the national languages of Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx.

Brythonic Branch (Great Britain)

• Proto-Brythonic speakers to migrate west to Wales and Cornwall due from pressue from incursions of Western Germanic (English) speakers
• Brythonic speakers from Cornwall resettled the coastal area of France now known as Brittany (5th century AD).
• The Brythonic dialects of Wales, Cornwall and Brittinay developed into the daughter languages of Welsh, Cornish and Breton.
• Note that Breton is a Brythonic language, not a direct descendant of Gaulis

—Pyatt (1997)

References

Additional Links

• Standards for Online Content Authors (Quality Web Content)
• Quality Web Content Articles
• Jakob Nielsen Writing for the Web