WWW: Writing for the Wired World

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WWW Writing for the Wired World

• Special Library Association
• Western Canada Chapter
• January 23, 2002
• Darlene Fichter, Data Librarian
• University of Saskatchewan
• library.usask.ca/fichter/

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Overview

• Writing Reading for the Web
• Dos Donts
• Format
• Scanning
• Style
• Language
• Jargon

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Not Covering

• Field testing
• Task based testing
• Scenario building
• Card sorting
• Preference testing (briefly)

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Reading Writing

• Goal is to communicate
• Strategy
• Key messages
• Your audience(s)

There is nothing more important than the
strategy phase. If you dont spend time on it,
its like being on a dark road without your
headlights on. Drue Miller, Webmistress Vivid
Studios
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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

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People read

• 25 slower on the screen
• Find Arial or Times Roman fonts at 12 pt the most
  legible

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Research shows DONT read

• People who are looking for information don't
  READ, they SCAN.
• If they have to read instructions or HELP page
  most people WILL NOT.

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What if they really need to read?

• What should you do?

• Tips
• Throw away 50 and then 50 again
• Provide a good head line and summary.
• Make it easy to print the 20 page report or
  pieces of 100 page report.
• Make sure that your longer documents are indexed!

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Long Documents as HTML

• Chunk slice it and dice it
• Present a model that the users understand
• Give a table of content
• Internal navigation
• page to page, back to section, back to T of
  C

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Scanability

• Create headings and subheadings
• Be consistent
• use font and/or color to offset headings

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Which is easiest to read? Research says

• Anatomy
• Biology
• Biotechnology
• Chemistry
• Microbiology
• Physics
• Zoology

Anatomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Microbiolo
gy Physics Zoology
Anatomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry
Microbiology Physics Zoology
1. White space 2. Bullets
white 3. No space
space
no bullets
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Which is faster? Why?
Books Art Journals History Electronic
Books Geography Mathematics
Art Books Geography
Journals History Electronic
Mathematics
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1
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Organizing Content for Viewing

• In columns, not rows
• Categorical not alphabetical

Topic Format Art
Books Geography Journals
History Electronic Mathematics
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Scan for Links

• Make the links in your text meaningful
• Make visited and unvisited links contrast with
  the base font color.

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Example of Scanning

• How to Find Information
• Search the catalogue
• Browse by subject
• 3. For e-books, click here
• Visit our list of web resources
• 5. Recommeded web sites on Sociology

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Tour

• 4 sites
• Jot down notes / opinions about the ability to
  scan and find words quickly
• Which sites work best? Why?
• Which sites dont work as well? Why?

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1. John Burgess
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2. JIBC Library
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3. U of A
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4. SFU
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Which site worked best?
2
1
4
3
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Style

• Concise
• Pyramid style (newspaper)
• Scanning lists, lists and more lists
• Looks a lot like PowerPoint

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Language

• Use the language of your users
• Ambiguity is a problem
• Provide context

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Classic Mistakes on Library Sites

• Library sites are full of jargon.

• WinSPIRS
• EbscoHost
• Access
• Database
• Gateway
• Services
• Electronic Reserves

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Example
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Labels are Challenging

• Testing helps
• Use a cookie test
• Create a list of possible labels
• My Account
• Borrower Information
• Library Card
• Your Library Card

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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?
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Other Important Writing Tasks

• Errors
• Should stand out from other text
• Should be comprehensible

404 not found ?
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Error Author Search
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Things to Avoid

• Marketese
• Anything that sounds like advertising is a
  complete turn off the best, the biggest

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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

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Myths Ironies

• Everyone owns a printing press
• Explosion of publishing
• Dirth of good writing
• Need good writers that can create concise and
  interesting headlines

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Secret to Good Wired Writing

• Observe and learn
• Write often
• Revise, revise and revise
• Read the usability studies and research reports

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Good News for Librarians

• Some of it comes naturally
• Group categorize things
• Assign labels
• Think about words meaning
• Service oriented

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Sites for Web Writing

• Writing for the Web Jakob Nielsen
  http//www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/
• Good Documents How to write for the
  INTRAnethttp//www.gooddocuments.com/
• Yales Web Style Guide Editorial
  http//info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual/pages/editori
  al_style.html
• Software Usability Research Laboratory
  Newsletterhttp//www.usabilitynews.org
• National Cancer Institute Usability.gov
  http//www.usability.gov/

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Books, Columns Reference Sites

• Writing Usability
• http//library.usask.ca/fichter/usability/

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Thank you!

• Questions?
• Darlene Fichter
• University of Saskatchewan Libraries
• library.usask.ca/fichter/