How do you select what your audiences need?

In most situations, users come to the Web with a specific goal or task or question. They want only the information they need to accomplish the goal, do the task, or answer the question. They aren't there to read; they are there to gather information.

The right content is the information that users want and need. If no one wants or needs the information, don't put it up on your Web site.

For every piece of the content, ask:

• Is this relevant to users of the Web site (not just to me)?
• Do users really want or need this information?

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How should you organize your content?

Here are six keys to organizing logically within a page of content:

• Break the text into manageable pieces.
• Put in many headings.
• Write useful headings.
• Make the headings into a table of contents.
• If the information is sequential, put it in that order.
• For non-sequential information, put what users need most first.

Break the text into manageable pieces

This is sometimes called "chunking" the text. Chunking operates on many levels. All of the following contribute to chunking and making text manageable:

• short sections
• short paragraphs
• short sentences
• lists
• tables
• pictures
• examples

If the text seems dense to people, they may not even try to read it.

Put in many headings

Headings help to break up the text. They also facilitate skimming and scanning. Because headings are usually in bold or color, they make the page more interesting.

Each short section should have its own heading, and should be only one or two short paragraphs. A short section might be just a list or a table. For example, look at how we use headings on this page.

Useful headings include:
Questions	Do you charge for shipping?
Sentences	We never charge for shipping.
Phrases	No charge for shipping over $50.
Action phrases	Shipping your order.
Imperatives	Fill out this form.

Make the headings into a table of contents

Headings help users in two ways:

1. By scanning the headings, users should get a summary or big picture of the content.
2. By finding the heading that relates to what they want, users should be able to jump to the right place in the information.

In a printed book, you make the headings work in both these ways by turning the headings into a table of contents. Online, you do the same thing by gathering each group of headings into an introductory list of hyperlinks. Look at the sets of hyperlinks (sometimes called anchor links) at the top of this page as an example.

If the information is sequential, put it in that order

Once you have the information chunked and have a useful heading for each chunk, you must decide what order is most appropriate for the chunks. In many cases, the right order is obvious because the information is sequential.

For non-sequential information, put what users need most first

If there is no obvious chronological or sequential order, put what users want or need most first.

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How do you write clearly?

Here are seven keys to writing clearly for the Web:

• Put the main message first.
• Cut out words.
• Keep paragraphs short.
• Keep sentences short.
• Use fragments.
• Use the users' words.
• Give examples.

Put the main message first

What's the key message (the essential message) that you are trying to convey? Figure that out and put it first.

Next put what will interest most users below the main message. Put further details that only some users want on other pages that are linked from the main message.

Cut out words

You can often convey the essential message in half as many words as you originally wrote.

Revise. Revise. Revise. Do not assume that your first draft is the best you can do. Write a draft. Leave it for a day or so. Go back to it and try to make your point even more succinctly.

Keep paragraphs short

A one sentence paragraph may be fine.

Keep sentences short

Users need to grasp the meaning quickly. You can often put secondary information in another sentence, in a table, in fragments, or leave it out entirely.

Use fragments

In frequently asked questions (FAQs) for example, you don't have to repeat words from the question in the answer.

Use the users' words

Think about these points:

• The Web is available globally. Should you change words to reach a world-wide audience?
• Even if you are writing for a United States government site, don't you want people outside of the U. S. to understand your content? Even if your audience is only U. S. residents, consider how many of them speak English as a second language.
• For your broader audience, should you translate the Web pages into other languages? Short sentences, simple words, and consistency all contribute to easier translations.
• Did all users understand the language in your paper documents? Even your traditional audiences may be better served by plain language.

Give examples

Users love examples. They often go to the examples instead of reading the text.

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How do you write visually?

Here are six keys to writing visually:

• Use bulleted lists.
• Use numbered lists for steps in a procedure.
• Use tables.
• Use blank space effectively.
• Meet users' expectations for presentation.
• Include pictures and other graphics, when appropriate.

Use bulleted lists

Lists are an excellent way to break up text. Nielsen found that lists accounted for 47% of the improvement in changes he made to the Sun Web site. Visit Jakob Nielsen's How Users Read on the Web.

Use numbered lists for steps in a procedure

Recognize when you are telling people how to do something. If it is a procedure, it has steps. If it has steps, set them out in a numbered list.

A numbered list has many advantages. Users can easily

• see how many steps they have to do
• do one step at a time and know where to come back to
• start in the middle if they had done some steps earlier
• use the list to check that they have done it all

Use tables

A table is a visual way of representing a series of "if, then" sentences. We use a table by scanning down the first column to find the place that fits our situation. Then we look across that row to find the information we are seeking for our situation.

For example:
Value of Order	Shipping Charges
Under $25.00	$3.50
25.01 to 50.00	4.50
50.01 to 75.00	5.50
75.01 to 100.00	6.50
Over 100.00	7.95

Each of these rows is says, "If the value of the order is this amount, then this is how much you pay for shipping." The above table shows the essential information without all the little words that you would have to repeat in each sentence if you wrote it out.

A table can be words as well as numbers. In putting together a table, always make the left-most column the one that has what people know when they come to the table - what you would put in the "if" clause of an "if, then" sentence.

Use blank space effectively

Space is at a premium on Web pages. Large amounts of blank space are a waste of screen "real estate" and can fool people into thinking there is nothing further down the page.

If you have no blank space, however, users won't find the different pieces of information. They won't see your "chunks."

Fragments, examples, lists, and tables all put space on the page because they are shorter lines of text.

Meet users' expectations for presentation.

For example, if you are giving an address, write it on separate lines like an address.

If you are giving prices or hours, list them as you would see them in a store.

Include pictures and other graphics, when appropriate

Pictures, line art, charts, and other graphics should contribute to the message, not just look pretty. Even a small icon, like the symbols for "printer-friendly version" and "e-mail this page to a friend" can help users find and understand the information quickly.

A word of caution: Think globally. Will your icon or picture be recognized around the world?

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Next steps

While the content writers on the team are writing clear content, others on the team might be Creating Prototypes. An efficient way to get a lot of design ideas is to Use Parallel Design.

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