In a recent study by Nielsen Norman Group, 79% of people just scanned web pages which demonstrated that users rarely actually read content word for word but instead scan the page and pick out words and phrases which stand out and help them form the gist of the sentence. As a result of this we must design websites which are easy to scan, use key words as well as a variation of type and colour, meaningful subheadings and presenting one key idea per paragraph. Something that is also important to a reader is the credibility of the information by using high-quality graphics, good writing and use of outbound hypertext links which demonstrate that the writer has other sources to back up his information and that what they are saying can be a trusted source. Web writers and designers also tend to stay clear of boastful subjective claims due the users tending to want to get straight to the point and receive straight, clear facts.
They conducted another test among these users implementing 5 different versions to measure the effectiveness of the conducted guidelines they had previously identified. They did this usability test by using the same basic information, same navigation and slightly different wording for each. They then asked users to complete the same set of tasks for each 5 versions and measured the responses in a table. By using Concise text with about half the word count as the control condition the usability of the webpage was improved about 58%, with a more scannable layout but the same content as the control condition it was 47% better and when using more Objective language rather than boastful or exaggerated language, they saw a 26% improvement. What was even more impressive is by combining all the elements, Nielsen Norman Group saw a 124% usability improvement from its test users.
We can help engage readers by creating a level of motivation through certain types of tasks for them. By doing this readers maintain a level of focus as they are motivated to learn more as it is something that aligns with their personal characteristics and interest. We can also use iconography to visually engage users as “a picture tells a thousand words” or we can take into consideration adding options for accessibility so the content is openly available to more people.
<aside> 💭 I think this study is very eye opening to how people read and process the content they see. Many people don’t read the small words as instead their eyes pick out the key words and words which stand out more due to the typography choice or colour. I think it is also important to think about how we can engage those readers more especially target audience which in a healthcare case is everyone. This is something that I will be able to apply to my health app especially as it is so important to be able to make the key words and information stand out for their patients.
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