scannable Archives - Wylie Communications, Inc. https://www.wyliecomm.com/category/scannable/ Writing workshops, communication consulting and writing services Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:29:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://www.wyliecomm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cropped-wci-favico-1-32x32.gif scannable Archives - Wylie Communications, Inc. https://www.wyliecomm.com/category/scannable/ 32 32 65624304 Skimmable text boosts web usability by 47% https://www.wyliecomm.com/2023/05/skimmable/ https://www.wyliecomm.com/2023/05/skimmable/#respond Fri, 19 May 2023 17:31:15 +0000 https://www.wyliecomm.com/?p=31546 Increases understanding, memory, satisfaction

When usability guru Jakob Nielsen wanted to measure the effects of scannable web copy, he studied a webpage about Nebraska.

One of the original passages said:

Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail.

… Read the full article

The post Skimmable text boosts web usability by 47% appeared first on Wylie Communications, Inc..

]]> Increases understanding, memory, satisfaction

When usability guru Jakob Nielsen wanted to measure the effects of scannable web copy, he studied a webpage about Nebraska.

Skimmable
Scannable text outperformed dense webpages in one of the earliest studies on web writing, by Jakob Nielsen. Image by Ahmet Misirligul

One of the original passages said:

Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. [Last year], 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).

Not very skimmable.

So Nielsen rewrote the webpage, adding subheads, bold-faced text and bullets, among other scannable elements:

Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. [Last year], 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)
  • Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446)

Skimmable webpage: 47% more usable.

Then Nielsen tested both pages for metrics including:

  • Task time: the number of seconds it took users to find answers to questions like “On what date did Nebraska become a state?”
  • Errors, or a percentage score based on the number of questions readers answered incorrectly
  • Memory — a recall test asking such questions as “Please list any names of tourist attractions you remember from the site.”
  • Subjective satisfaction, or how participants felt about the site’s quality, ease of use and likeability. This was measured by questions like “How frustrated did you feel while working on this site?”

The result: The skimmable rewrite was 47% more usable.

Nearly half again more usable just by adding some bullets and bold-face? That’s a pretty good ROI on scannable copy!

The 124% solution

Finally, Nielsen made the Nebraska webpage more:

  • Scannable
  • Concise
  • Objective

Here’s his rewrite:

[Last year], some of the most popular places 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

With just these three tweaks, he more than doubled usability, to 124%.

How do you make your webpages more skimmable?

  • Display copy-writing workshop, a mini master class

    Get the word out with display copy

    “Readers” don’t read. Even highly educated web visitors read fewer than 20% of the words on a webpage.

    So how do you reach “readers” who won’t read your paragraphs?

    Learn how to put your messages where your readers’ eyes really are — in links, lists and CTAs — at our display copy-writing workshop.

    BOOK NOW

The post Skimmable text boosts web usability by 47% appeared first on Wylie Communications, Inc..

]]> https://www.wyliecomm.com/2023/05/skimmable/feed/ 0 31546