Content Usability A presentation on creating usable content for the online environment. By John Stubbe

Content Usability  An anecdote about car seats  “Such manuals are written at a tenth-grade reading level on average, according to a new study, while data suggest that nearly a quarter of U.S. adults read at or below a fifth-grade level, and at least 25 percent read at about an eighth-grade level.”—San Francisco Chronicle, March 2003

Content Usability--Readability  How we read  Components of readability Legibility Sentence and paragraph structure Reading level Layout and white space Consistency

Content Usability--Readability  How we read Reading vs. Scanning  Online readers are content gatherers  Reading online is more physically taxing on your eyes  Information overload

Content Usability--Readability  Components of Readability Legibility  Strong contrast and distinctive pattern attract the eye Use of color (black/dark on white/light)  Fonts (typeface, size, style, and case) Sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana, and Helvetica Clear Type and True Type Clear Type True Type

Content Usability--Readability Patterns of ascending and descending characters: The envelope around the word:  A word about word recognition

Content Usability--Readability  Sentence and paragraph structure Keep sentences and paragraphs short Use subject-verb-object construction when possible:  Jack hit the ball.  The ball was hit by Jack. Limit line length to characters

Content Usability—Readability  Write to the users’ reading level Average American reads at a 10 th- grade reading level Learn who your target audience is and write appropriately Readability tools:  SMOG Readability SMOG Readability  Microsoft Word readability tools

Content Usability--Readability  Layout and white space Use ample white space, particularly when setting line heights  Create enough space for ascenders and descenders, but not so much that the flow of the text is disrupted To indent or not to indent  White space can be used to break up paragraphs

Content Usability--Readability  Consistency Extends from design to content development Use a style guide  The Web Content Style Guide  Web Style Guide, 2 nd Edition  Develop your own style guide

Content Usability  Improve content readability Keep it simple; shorter is better Use powerful language (active voice and verbs) Write for the reader Be direct; avoid fluff Use headings and subheadings Use cascading style sheets Don’t be afraid of giving readers what they expect

Content Usability  Content developers: Another important team member Information architect Graphic designer Database designer Usability engineer Content developer

Content Usability  Benefits: Greater authority and credibility Users/readers will return to your site Users/readers will stay longer

Content Usability Sources: Larson, Kevin. (2004). The science of word recognition. Advanced reading technology, Microsoft Corporation. Lynch, Patrick J. and Horton, Sarah. (2002). Web style guide, 2 nd edition. McGovern, Gerry. (2002). Content critical. McGovern, Gerry et al. (2002). Web content style guide. Tanner, Lindsey. (2003). Study: Infant car seat instructions too difficult for many adults. San Francisco Chronicle.