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Why is easy-to-use content so critical?
- How do people use the Web?
- Should I put paper documents on the Web?
- What if some users want Web-based information and others want the paper document online?
How do people use the Web?
Five points to remember about people using the Web:
- Users scan and select (even on content pages, users skim, scan, and select)
- Not reading makes sense
- Not reading is not new to the Web
- Reading on the Web may be more difficult than on paper
Users scan and select
In most encounters with a Web site, users must first navigate to the page they need. They do this by scanning and selecting—or searching—seldom by reading more than a few words. Time spent getting to the right place is "down" time so people want to do it as quickly as possible.
Even on content pages, users skim, scan, and select
Nielsen found that 79% of users skimmed and scanned on Web pages (see Applying Writing Guidelines to Web Pages). Many Web users do not want to read a lot.
Not reading makes sense
Most of the time, users are trying to find a specific piece of information or the answer to a specific question. They often want to grab just the information they need and get on towards a goal. Having to read a lot, especially information that is not related to the user's goal, is an obstacle to completing the goal.
Not reading is not new to the Web
Some people think that skimming and scanning is unique to the Web. But it's not. Workplace documents are different from novels. People use documents. Even with paper documents, people want to jump in to just the information that they need, grab that information, and jump back out of the document.
Karen Schriver found that 81% of users with paper documents acted just like Nielsen's Web users. In reporting their behavior with users' manuals, 46% said they scanned them; 35% said they used the documents for reference (they went to a specific page to get a specific piece of information). [Schriver, Dynamics in Document Design, John Wiley & Sons, 1998, page 213.]
Reading on the Web may be more difficult than on paper
Older research showed that reading from the Web was about 25% slower than reading from paper. That difference may be disappearing with high-resolution monitors, although we do not yet have definitive research with a relevant task, such as reading and understanding. Many people still find reading from the screen for extended periods to be difficult and tiring.
Should I put paper documents on the Web?
That depends on whether people are using the Web as:
- their primary source of information
- an archive for printing
Using the Web as primary source of information
Many users want to get their information directly from the Web. If they are looking for a specific answer, they don't want to see a whole book online.
A single printed book often covers many different topics because in print it is easier to publish and distribute one large document than many small ones. Online, putting it all in one "book" isn't necessary.
Online, think "topic" rather than "document."
In most cases, therefore, the answer to whether to just put paper documents on the Web is NO. The document format you had on paper is usually not the right one for your users on the Web.
Using the Web as an archive for printing
The Web does have a second use—besides being a source of information to be read on screen. It also serves as an archive for journals, magazines, reports, and other printed material. If people want to print an exact copy of the entire paper document and have it look like paper, then having the paper document available on your Web site makes sense. However, don't confuse paper documents online with Web-readable material.
What if some users want Web-based information and others want the paper document online?
Here are four possible approaches to satisfying both audiences:
- Layer the information.
- Offer a separate printable document.
- Put each topic in a scrollable (and printable) file.
- Offer a print version of the Web page.
Layer the information
Put a summary of the information in easily accessible Web form and then put a link to the printable version of the paper document.
Offer a separate printable document
If you are putting a document on the Web that you assume some users will read online and others will print out, offer it in both HTML and in PDF or some other easily printable version.
Put each topic in a scrollable (and printable) file
If you think users are going to want to print topics and you are using HTML, keep the information on that topic in a single HTML file rather than spread over pages. Many Web users today are comfortable with scrolling vertically, although they still do not scroll horizontally.
Offer a printer-friendly version of the Web page
Many sites now offer a printer-friendly version of each page. The printer-friendly version usually reduces the page to the content area, stripping out the color-intensive graphics and text that surround the content area (logo and graphics from the top of the page, navigation from the left or right of the page).
Next steps
You may want to go back to the article on Writing for the Web or on to the article on Use Parallel Design.
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