Web Reading Versus Conventional Reading

Web usability consultant, Jakob Neilson says that readers don't exactly read pages on the Web, they scan them. Readers look for certain words or sentences that stand. He also says that a study showed that only 16 percent of those tested actually read each word.

Some ways to make a reader-friendly page:

• bulleted lists
• highlighted keywords
• one idea per paragraph
• write in the inverted pyramid style
• get to the point
• should be about 50 percent of what would be written for print

Neilson states that credibility is especially important on the web. Quality writing, quality graphics and outward hypertext links(links to other sites) increase credibility to a Webpage. Readers also dislike pages that exaggerate.

Nielson and his team conduscted a study to measure the effect of web writing. They found that a combination of three things was the most effective. This combination was as follows:

1.Scannable layout : which is using the same text as the control condition in a layout that facilitated scanning

2.Objective language: which is using neutral rather than subjective, boastful, or exaggerated language

3.Concise text : about half the word count as the control condition

Overall, Neilson's point is rather simple. Web reading is different than conventional reading. Readers want to find what they are looking for as quickly as possible, but still know that what they are reading is accurate and credible. Neilson's article gives any Web designer/ writer they tools he or she would need to successfully convey a message to a reader.