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We write for the Web

How do we write for electronic media? Although definitive research is slow to emerge, we've culled through the available information and discovered four primary principles of Web writing. As writers, we must:

• Build pages to help readers get their job done.
• Structure information so people can scan it quickly.
• Maintain consistency.
• Provide useful links.

We build pages to help readers get their jobs done

Web readers are performance-focused. They detest promotional writing if it interferes with their goals. They want to see the big picture of the information, understand the relationship between the whole and the parts, and move directly to the information that matches their mental models and specific questions.

We promote the use of a user-expectation-driven structure. In this structure, the writer builds information to meet three criteria. The text should:

• Predict the upcoming information—provide a preview of coming attractions.
• Control the information—present the information in the same order you "predicted."
• Direct your information so it meets the purpose you've intended—the understanding or action.

We structure information for scanning

Web readers scan. Jakob Neilsen's 1997 study of Web readability indicates 79 percent of their test users scan any new page they encounter. In our work with businesses and students, we've found approximately 95 percent scan a document, rather than reading word for word.

Readers look for structure. They zoom in on headings and subheadings—looking for a "map" of the content. They read topic sentences, often ignoring the paragraph details. They focus on bullets and highlighted words, because these elements show contrast.

We maintain consistency

Web readers seek consistency. To help them, we must ensure the Web structure can be navigated without users re-creating mental models every time they click a page. The same holds true for text. If readers must ask, "who is this addressing" every time they enter pages, they will not be able to access and apply content.

We believe it is worth the effort to ensure similar text elements repeat throughout a page and throughout a site. This enables the user to quickly preprocess the information.

We provide useful links

Links provide a powerful tool for exploring the depths of information. And research shows people like links. None of us want to scroll down or across a page. None of us wants to be surprised to find we've linked somewhere we never expected to go.

At Info.Design, we believe it's possible to use links to better guide the user. In our teaching, we explore strategies for linking information. We think of links as routes that you can follow, drilling to the layer of information you need. We share this philosophy in our teaching, our consulting, and our project work.