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WWW: Writing for the Wired World

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Title: WWW: Writing for the Wired World


1
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/

2
Overview
  • Writing Reading for the Web
  • Dos Donts
  • Format
  • Scanning
  • Style
  • Language
  • Jargon

3
Not Covering
  • Field testing
  • Task based testing
  • Scenario building
  • Card sorting
  • Preference testing (briefly)

4
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
5
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

6
People read
  • 25 slower on the screen
  • Find Arial or Times Roman fonts at 12 pt the most
    legible

7
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.

8
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!

9
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

10
Scanability
  • Create headings and subheadings
  • Be consistent
  • use font and/or color to offset headings

11
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
12
Which is faster? Why?
Books Art Journals History Electronic
Books Geography Mathematics
Art Books Geography
Journals History Electronic
Mathematics
2
1
13
Organizing Content for Viewing
  • In columns, not rows
  • Categorical not alphabetical

Topic Format Art
Books Geography Journals
History Electronic Mathematics
14
Scan for Links
  • Make the links in your text meaningful
  • Make visited and unvisited links contrast with
    the base font color.

15
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

16
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?

17
1. John Burgess
18
2. JIBC Library
19
3. U of A
20
4. SFU
21
Which site worked best?
2
1
4
3
22
Style
  • Concise
  • Pyramid style (newspaper)
  • Scanning lists, lists and more lists
  • Looks a lot like PowerPoint

23
Language
  • Use the language of your users
  • Ambiguity is a problem
  • Provide context

24
Classic Mistakes on Library Sites
  • Library sites are full of jargon.
  • WinSPIRS
  • EbscoHost
  • Access
  • Database
  • Gateway
  • Services
  • Electronic Reserves

25
Example
26
Labels are Challenging
  • Testing helps
  • Use a cookie test
  • Create a list of possible labels
  • My Account
  • Borrower Information
  • Library Card
  • Your Library Card

27
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?
28
Other Important Writing Tasks
  • Errors
  • Should stand out from other text
  • Should be comprehensible

404 not found ?
29
Error Author Search
30
Things to Avoid
  • Marketese
  • Anything that sounds like advertising is a
    complete turn off the best, the biggest

31
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

32
Myths Ironies
  • Everyone owns a printing press
  • Explosion of publishing
  • Dirth of good writing
  • Need good writers that can create concise and
    interesting headlines

33
Secret to Good Wired Writing
  • Observe and learn
  • Write often
  • Revise, revise and revise
  • Read the usability studies and research reports

34
Good News for Librarians
  • Some of it comes naturally
  • Group categorize things
  • Assign labels
  • Think about words meaning
  • Service oriented

35
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/

36
Books, Columns Reference Sites
  • Writing Usability
  • http//library.usask.ca/fichter/usability/

37
Thank you!
  • Questions?
  • Darlene Fichter
  • University of Saskatchewan Libraries
  • library.usask.ca/fichter/
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