Comparing pages & screens

Recognizing elements of effective screen design

Writing prose to suit the Web

Organizing multiple pages

Writing faster

Additional Resources

Writing for the Web requires understanding something about how readers behave when reading text online.  Perhaps the main thing to know is that readers of Web pages are impatient and therefore more likely to scan text, rather than read carefully.

In a study conducted by usability engineer Jakob Nielsen (1997a), 79% of the participants scanned a Web page, while only 16% read word-for-word.

Teachers may have the luxury of requiring students to read text, no matter how it is formatted. However, it is still in a teacher's best interest to design the text to accommodate prevailing reading habits.

Researchers don't know exactly why readers are reluctant to read word-for-word on screen.  Possible causes include the difficulty of reading on screen rather than on paper (eye-strain) and the possibility for distraction.  Think about how easy it is for a reader to "go elsewhere" if a Web page proves uninteresting.

Consider, finally, that it can be more difficult for readers to find their way through a series of Web pages.  This is probably so for two reasons.  First, most computer screens show less text than a printed page.  (See Figure 1.) An 8^1/2x11 piece of paper can simply display more text than most computer monitors.

Because paper displays more text than a computer screen, it's usually easier for readers to get a sense of the entire text (where they are in it, where it begins and ends, etc.) on paper than on screen.  

The next page offers strategies for accommodating this change.