There is a vast difference between how users with a high-literacy level read Web pages when compared with low-literacy users.

In my last post, titled Writing Web Content: Scanning Not Spamming, we discussed how the high-literacy user scans Web pages, reading out a sentence here and there—seeking relevance, headings, links, bolded text and calls-to-action. They effectively scan and read only 20–28% of the text on a page.

We tend to make a concentrated effort to cater to the high-literacy user when writing content for the Web.

According to the US National Center for Educational Statistics, 30 million Americans (14%) have below basic literacy skills, and 63 million (20%) have just basic literacy skills. That means that approximately 43% of US residents have a low level of literacy. Do we assume that this figure is also representative of the number of low-literacy users utilizing the Internet? Even considering that this sector may have a lower disposable income and limited access to the technology, this is still a huge number of people who are largely not catered to when we write or build Web pages.

Have you ever watched a person with low literacy reading? They read one word at a time, moving slowly line by line, frequently agonizing over multisyllabic words. I should note here that low literacy does not mean illiterate. If something becomes too hard, they move on rather than become too bogged down-potentially missing important information. 

This can also apply to people with certain disabilities and users who have English as a second language.

These users do not scan pages.

Tips for writing Web pages for low-literacy users:

• Place important information at the top of the page. It is more likely to be read word for word than if it were further down the page.
• Avoid long pages of text. This is too time-consuming and difficult for the low-literacy user.
• Keep writing simple and easy-to-read. Do not use big words or uncommon words.
• Scrolling can be difficult, as low-literacy users cannot scan to find where they were on the page. Keep this in mind when writing and designing a Web page.
• Don’t expect these users to be able to use a search box successfully to find what they are looking for. They may not be able to spell what they are seeking and may not be able to interpret the search results. Often they will simply choose the top option.
• As well as prioritizing information and keeping information simple, it is important to keep the user focused on the goal. As low-literacy users tend to move from page to page when things get difficult, it is easy for them to get lost or disorientated.

If your Web visitors are a combination of people from all literacy levels, place all important information and calls-to-action at the top of the page, and background detail further down for those who wish to read more.

References

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20050314.html

http://www.accessvt.atc.vt.edu/standards/animation.html

http://jabba.edb.utexas.edu/minliu/usability.pdf

http://nces.ed.gov/naal/kf_demographics.asp

Have some experience of effective Web writing? Or some questions or ideas about this topic? Leave us a COMMENT to share your thoughts.

LISA—Read more about this editor

Online users tend to scan text on a Web page rather than reading the page word-by-word.

Every article you read on writing content for the Web will inform you of this.

What does scanning the text really mean?
How does this affect what content we write?

Useit.com reports on a recent eyetracking study which indicates that users with a high-literacy level read approximately 20 - 28% of the text on a Web page. Often the user will read the first sentence or paragraph of an article then skim vertically down the content with eyes stopping at headings, bullet lists, bolded text, links and numerals. Another sentence or two may be read to see if the content is relevant and useful. The captivated reader will continue reading.

Online users tend to be extremely focused on a specific task or objective. They spend the absolute minimum amount of time on a new page to see if it relevant before moving on to another page, or worse - a competitor.

With a limited amount of time to keep the user’s attention on a Web page and encourage them to read, how do we write compelling and easy-to-read content?

Online Writing Tips—in a Nutshell

• The title of the page is important. The first two words of the title need to be the initial attention grabber. In a navigational menu or a list of pages, it is the first two words of the title that the user will notice.
• Use the inverted pyramid style of writing with the most important points or conclusion first. The interested reader will continue reading to gain the background.
• Keep sentences short yet concise. Long sentences are for print material.
• Be factual and informative. Most online readers are looking for information or researching a product or service. Avoid excessive promotional language and “land-fill” sentences. These are sentences that are used to increase the word count and have no real value to the reader.
• Throughout the page use sub-headings, bolded text, bullet lists and links where appropriate. Avoid massive blocks of text.
• Have clear calls-to-action. Users should not have to look for the next step. Users like actionable content.
• Use numerals instead of spelling out numbers where they represent figures or facts. This is against traditional copywriting standards but is expected when writing for the online medium.

Many writers struggle with the non-traditional methods of writing content for a Web page.  It goes against how we have been taught to write in schools.  The Internet has changed reader behavior so we must be dynamic and cater to these changes.  A great Web site for more information is the Jakob Nielsen site: http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/.

Earlier in this post, I mentioned that users with a high-literacy level scan Web content.  How do we cater to the low-literacy user?

We will talk about that in another post.

 [LF1] Link http://www.useit.com/alertbox/percent-text-read.html

Have some experience writing effective Web content? Or perhaps a question for our Web expert? Leave us a COMMENT.

LISA—Read more about this editor