Idea #1: Shorten That Text!

Cut Any Paper-Based Text by 50%

Don't make me read!

The computer builds each letter out of big fat dots on the screen, and these jagged-edged characters become so fuzzy that they challenge the eye, making the job of reading much harder than on paper. Jakob Nielsen's research, for instance, suggests that people read 25% slower from a computer screen than from paper.

Struggling to see the text on a blurry screen, people are also uncertain where they are within the site, doubtful whether your page really has the info they want, and distracted by ads. In such circumstances, people resent text. They resist reading in many clever ways. They cry out, "Don't make me read!" Nielsen's remedy: "Write 50% less text."

Cutting half the words in your text works. The point is not the number. Fewer words mean less reading. When you get close to half the words you would ordinarily use on paper, you're finally writing for people who see any extra words as "verbiage."

People use text, to put off reading

To figure out what topics to look at, people use the text that you create in menus, headings, and search results. To navigate through the site, people use the text in buttons and links. To decide whether or not to go ahead and read what you write on a particular page, people use the text in the page title, headings, and introductory sentence. Using text is like using signs, not what we usually think of as reading. Only when a guest has successfully used your text to identify a topic as worthwhile will he or she actually slow down and read.

Pithy sentences are like sharp nails driving truth into our memory. — Diderot

The way you write all the text that people must use just to find the right topic determines how much brainpower they have left to consider your actual ideas. Now they face the near illegibility of the actual characters, and the tempting art and ads around your article. And reading means they must also give attention to the many simultaneous tasks involved in figuring out and understanding the text. Reading is a tougher job than using text, and their attention is always being drawn away. If you want to be sure someone will read what you write on the Web, write less.

Less text means less strain on a visitor's ability to concentrate, less material to juggle in short-term memory, and a faster rush to meaning.

Cut on-screen and off

When we cut text that we originally wrote for a paper magazine, we do it on-screen, so we can see the characters blur just the way they will for our users. That near illegibility encourages trimming. Sure, you can use a paper copy to slash away, but you may not go far enough. Paper pleads for more text. Coming from a background of books, magazines, and the Sunday New York Times, paper carries a tradition of long documents, thick paragraphs, and elaborate sentences. As experienced readers, we are used to lots of text—on paper.

If you insist on editing on paper, you'll know you have cut far enough when the printout begins to look quirky, abrupt, telegraphic. On-screen, that text will go down fast and smooth.

Take several whacks

We cut everything we can and then stop. When we look at the text again, we see it is too verbose.

We cut again and again and again. Sometimes, we have to make five passes to get rid of the last ounce of fat.

Don't expect to make all the cuts at once. Keep at it.

Hot Text: Web Writing that Works
Save The Meaning, Cut Away The Rest - Page 2