Writng fo The Web_Khan

Download
Share  Add to  Flag Embed
Views:
 
Category: Entertainment
     
 
License:   All Rights Reserved

Presentation Description

No description available.

Comments

Presentation Transcript

Writing for the Web: Clear and Concise: 

Writing for the Web: Clear and Concise Presented by Khan Helaluzzaman Ayon

Ground Rules: 

Ground Rules Cell phones off or on vibrate; no texting or emailing Participate in workshops Misery is optional Respect your neighbors Clean up after yourself

Objectives: 

Objectives Apply formatting to make information clearer and easier to understand Recognize and correct problems with: Clarity Wordiness

Agenda: 

Agenda Usability research about how users read web pages Relate that research to classic principles of formatting, writing and readability Hands-on exercises

To go from this:: 

To go from this: Courtesy of the NYS Tax Department

To this:: 

To this: Courtesy of the NYS Tax Department

Quick Exercise: 

Quick Exercise

Slide 8: 

Courses Business Science Arts Accounting Chemistry Performing Marketing Physics Music Finance Biology Dance Economics Fine Photography Sculpting

Slide 9: 

Count backwards from 105, by 3’s 105 102 99 …..

Slide 10: 

Courses Arts Business Accounting Marketing Finance Economics Performing Music Dance Science Chemistry Physics Biology Fine Photography Sculpting

Why Clear, Concise Pages Matter: 

Why Clear, Concise Pages Matter Readers: Are in a hurry Don’t want a lot of prose Have varied reading skills May not be native English speakers May have reading disabilities May use search engines to find information

Results of Vague, Wordy Pages: 

Results of Vague, Wordy Pages People misunderstand your content People give up trying to read it Your pages are hard to find in searches Increased calls to your call center (and more work for you!)

Findings from Usability Studies: 

Findings from Usability Studies Skilled readers: Read at a 10th – 12th grade level Scan web pages for Headings Keywords Links First 2 words of a line get most attention “F” pattern

F-pattern Shown in Eye-Tracking Studies: 

F-pattern Shown in Eye-Tracking Studies http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

Findings from Usability Studies: 

Findings from Usability Studies Unskilled readers: Read at a 6 th – 8 th grade level Do NOT scan Read slowly, word by word Give up if there are too many words

Skilled vs Unskilled Readers: 

Skilled vs Unskilled Readers As web use increases, unskilled readers are becoming nearly half of all users .

What do they have in common?: 

What do they have in common? Neither wants to read all the text on your web page (and they won’t!)

How to Serve Both at Once?: 

How to Serve Both at Once? Most important information first Put key information words at the start of: Headings Opening sentences List items Use standard English Use 6 th -8 th grade reading level

Audience Analysis: 

Audience Analysis Who uses your web site? One group? A mix of several groups? What are the goals of your users? What are your users’ top tasks? What are your users really looking for? http://www.usability.org/

Audience Analysis: 

Audience Analysis Your call center can often help you understand your users better What are the most common questions? What confuses people?

Audience Analysis (cont’d): 

Audience Analysis (cont’d) No call center or helpdesk? Think about what questions you get Ask your colleagues about the questions they answer most often

Apply Your Audience Analysis:: 

Apply Your Audience Analysis: What is your message? In one sentence, what are you trying to tell people? Why are you creating a web page? Answering users’ questions Addressing users’ concerns http://www.usability.org/

Formatting: 

Formatting “Escaping the essay” Headings Bulleted lists White space

Organization: 

Organization “Top down” Order of importance By task By topic By user group “Rule of 7” http://www.usability.org/

Content overload: 

Content overload

Content that’s “just right”: 

Content that’s “just right”

Workshop #1 – Part 1: 

Workshop #1 – Part 1 “Escaping the essay”: 15 Minutes

Go from this:: 

Go from this:

To this:: 

To this:

Formatting: Questions?: 

Formatting: Questions?

Break! 15 Minutes: 

Break! 15 Minutes

“Readability Formulas”?: 

“Readability Formulas”? Common formulas: Fogg Index Flesch-Kincaid Formulas are based on: Average sentence length Syllable count Ratios of short to long words

The Flesch-Kincaid Formula: 

The Flesch-Kincaid Formula

What’s NOT Measured?: 

What’s NOT Measured? Use of standard English Appropriateness for audience Logical flow Organization Format And many other features!

So What Good Are Formulas?: 

So What Good Are Formulas? Emphasis on sentence length highlights: Wordiness Overly complex sentences Emphasis on syllable count, use of long vs short words highlights: Overuse of long, unfamiliar, “$4” words

So how do you make a web page more “readable”?: 

So how do you make a web page more “readable”? Organization and formatting Avoid the “wall o’ text” Clarity Conciseness All of the above based on your audiences!

Editing for “Clarity”: 

Editing for “Clarity” What does “clear” mean? Can only be interpreted one way Concrete and specific Make sentences “active” (a.k.a. active voice)

Concrete and specific: 

Concrete and specific Abstract  Concrete Food Transportation  Motor Vehicle  Truck  Fruit  Pear  Bartlett

Active Sentences: 

Active Sentences Working definition: or said another way: Action in the verb, agent in the subject The subject does the action in the verb.

How to make a sentence “active”?: 

How to make a sentence “active”? Find the action Make the action the verb Figure out who or what is doing the action (a.k.a. the “agent”) Make the agent the subject

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” Where’s the action? There was an assessment of the project by the engineers. Action got hidden inside a noun

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” Where’s the “agent” that does the action? There was an assessment of the project by the engineers. Buried in a phrase at the end

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” AGENT ACTION OBJECT The engineers assessed the project. SUBJECT VERB OBJECT

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” There was an engineering project assessment. Where’s the action? Buried in words jammed together at the end

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” There was an engineering project assessment. Where’s the agent that does the action? Buried in those same jammed words – maybe!

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” AGENT ACTION OBJECT SUBJECT VERB OBJECT Inspectors assessed the engineering project. The engineers assessed the project.

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” The project was assessed by the engineers. Where’s the action? Buried in a past participle – “passive voice”

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” The project was assessed by the engineers. Where’s the agent? Buried in a phrase at the end

Make the sentence “active”: 

Make the sentence “active” AGENT ACTION OBJECT The engineers assessed the project. SUBJECT VERB OBJECT

Active Sentences are “clearer” because:: 

Active Sentences are “clearer” because: Their “subject-verb-object” structure: Is direct Spells out who did what, to what They’re easier for unskilled readers

Workshop #2: 

Workshop #2 Editing for clarity: 20 Minutes

Editing for Conciseness: 

Editing for Conciseness Classic problems to eliminate: Redundance Meaningless modifiers Pompous diction (“writing to impress”) Phrases for words

Redundance: 

Redundance The evaluators will give active thought and consideration to the true facts about the situation. The evaluators will consider the facts about the situation.

Redundance: 

Redundance In my personal opinion In my opinion Small in size Small Completely accurate Accurate

Meaningless Modifiers: 

Meaningless Modifiers Basically, the general proposals for balancing the budget were utterly rejected. The proposals for balancing the budget were rejected.

Meaningless Modifiers: 

Meaningless Modifiers Perfectly clear Clear Essentially true True Very unique Unique

Pompous Diction: 

Pompous Diction It is incumbent on all of us to endeavor to maximize our utilization of best web programming and content development practices We should use the best practices for web programming and content development.

Pompous Diction: 

Pompous Diction Expeditious Quick Remuneration Payment Prevaricate Evade Utilize Use

Phrases for Words: 

Phrases for Words At this point in time, veterans can apply for educational benefits with a minimum of effort. Now veterans can apply for educational benefits easily.

Phrases for Words: 

Phrases for Words In point of fact In fact Period of time Time (or period) In order to To

Workshop #3: 

Workshop #3 Editing for conciseness: 20 Minutes

Did Your Edits Help?: 

Did Your Edits Help? Usability tests Ask some typical users to review content Call center (before and after): Are they getting the same questions? More? Less? Different?

Summary: 

Summary Bring information forward with: Headings Bullets Whitespace And other “escapes from the essay” Keep language: “Clear”: Direct, active, specific Concise

References and All Materials: 

References and All Materials Posted online at: http://www.nysforum.org/accessibility/resources http://www.useit.com (and the URL is on your handouts!)

Ask Me : 

Ask Me Ask Me Here: http://bit.ly/askayon

Slide 66: 

66 Thank you!! 