Interesting facts: F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content. Eyetracking visualizations show that users often read Web pages in an F-shaped pattern, F for fast. In a few seconds, their eyes move at amazing speeds across your website’s words in a F pattern: two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe.
F-Shaped Pattern means, that the first two paragraphs must state the most important information. Start subheads, paragraphs, and bullet points with information-carrying words that users will notice when scanning down the left side of your content. They’ll read the third word on a line much less often than the first two words.
Interesting article for understanding usability – How Users Read on the Web. The main idea is to analyze how web content could be improved from the usability point of view. The author gives the example HOW to do it. He starts from the fact that people do not read Web pages word by word but they scan it, picking out individual words and sentences. He underlines that credibility suffers when users clearly see that the site exaggerates.
The author shows us the detailed steps how to improve some piece of text so called “promotional writing“. The first step is making this text concise. The second step relates to scannable layout that is more user friendly. Then the author edits style of the text using more neutral language, he calls it objective language. Last, the author combines these 3 writing styles together: concise, scannable, and objective and gives the final version of the text. He underlines that the usability has been improved considerably.
Promotional writing
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).
Improved text
In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were:
- Fort Robinson State Park
- Scotts Bluff National Monument
- Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
- Carhenge
- Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
- Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park