I have spent this morning reading Jakob Nielsons article on "Writing for the web." I found all of the information about the F shaped reading pattern very interesting. A lot of it makes sense to me because that's what I do myself.
If I had to make a list of the five most important 'rules' for writing online, I believe Denis G Jerz came pretty close to nailing what is important.
No.1 on the list is to lead with your best stuff. Jakob Nielson described this as a pyramid writing style. Being concise and hooking readers in straight away is very important.
No 2. on my list is to employ a scanable layout. Bullet points, bold text where applicable, and simple concise text is important here. Avoid boastful language as readers will see straight through this. There is a big difference between what a reader will absorb when scanning a website and what someone will absorb when reading from a printed document. Be aware of this at all times.
No.3 is to use a simple design. You should assume that the person viewing your webpage only has a dial up internet connection. Nothing will turn a person off quicker than a page which loads too slowly. That person will simply leave your webpage and check out the next site.
No 4 is to use a simple navigation system. It is important to have all of your navigation kept in the one place, typically the left hand side in the form of a vertical menu, or running across the top in the form of a horizontal menu. It is also important to have an option for returning home on everypage. This will ensure that if your visitor ever gets confused, they will be able to easily return to the starting point.
No 5 is to use meaningful links throughout your site. When writing a link make sure it is descriptive. Your visitors will want to know where this link takes them when they click on it.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
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