Webpages
Webpage interaction is done via web browser—a software application that interprets the scripting language of a web document—and it is through the web browser that web pages come to life.
Content is often presented with a variety of interactive elements.
• Keyword-rich content
• User-friendly layout
• Logical menu and navigation
• Comment / Feedback forms
• Message forums
• Mailing lists
• Social media or "share" buttons
• Search engines
• Appropriate meta tags
As a web designer in my spare time, I understand the importance of such elements. While I haven't had the practise to implement all interactive elements in the sites I built from scratch, making use of Wordpress enables me to make use of the extra interactivity in many of these areas.
** Webpage Readership **
When considering the previously mentioned elements, another important consideration is which parts of a webpage visitors read.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group's eyetracking study they found that "users' main reading behaviour was fairly consistent across many different sites and tasks", and that it followed a "dominant reading pattern". Their research noted the reading pattern was in the shape of an 'F' and contained the following components:
• Users eyes scanned the first few lines in a horizontal movement (the top of the F).
• Next, they scanned down the page and read in another—albeit shorter—horizontal line (the lower bar of the F).
• Finally, users scanned the left side of the content in a vertical movement (forming the stem of the F). Sometimes this movement is slow, and other times it's fast.
The F-shape can differ depending on the user, or the webpage layout; the F-shaped pattern brings with it its own implications, namely:
• Users won't thoroughly read the content.
• The most important information should be in the first two paragraphs.
• Start sub headings, paragraphs and bullets with words related to the content before it.
The F-shaped pattern is an important consideration for the web writer; keeping it in mind will likely help in keeping the user visiting longer, and thus reading more of the webpage's content.
** The Visitation of Web Users **
The length of time a user spends on a webpage depends on two central points:
• The content on offer.
• The layout of the webpage.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group, "users often leave web pages in 10-20 seconds", but, they further point out, "pages with a clear value proposition can hold people's interest for much longer".
Users visit for an average of "a little less than a minute" and, according to the findings of another study undertaken by the Nielsen Norman Group, "people only have time to read quarter of the text on the pages they visit".
What this spells out for the web writer is the importance of being clear about the content on offer, of having a user-friendly layout, a logical navigation system and an appropriate theme (inclusive of fonts, font sizes, headings and graphics) that engages with the user.
These considerations are important if the writer wants their content read and further explored by the web user.
** Content, Word and Language Considerations **
The way a webpage is designed and laid out is, in essence, the "face" of the website. As such, the considerations of page layout and typography are important to effectively bring the content on offer to life while simultaneously ensuring it is user-friendly.
There are two popular styles: standard banner-style and standard side-navigation. A third option is the combination of banner-style and side-navigation.
As an example, the following sites use....
Banner-style:
http://archiveofourown.org/
Side-navigation:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Each of these layouts comes with their own merits; personally speaking, I have used each of the layouts and their use depends entirely on the kind of content I'm sharing. My art websites, for example, have always used a side-navigation layout as it allows for more categories and links on a single page without taking up too much space on my menus.
Considerations for the writer in addition to the style of layout to use include:
• Using reader-friendly typography (web safe fonts and appropriate sizes).
• Having a logical layout.
• Using a reader-friendly theme and colours.
• Effectively using titles or headings.
• Including graphics (where appropriate) to draw the users' attention.
• And, most importantly, keeping the end-user in mind.
Keeping the end-user in mind doesn't just apply to layout, however.
When developing web content it's also critical to think of international readers, as not all readers will be from the web writer's native country. It is therefore advisable to not include colloquial terms or slang, and if the writer intends to create a sales webpage, for example, they should be especially clear in their terminology (although this is important for the use of everyday items also).