‘Read’ all about it

By | June 12, 2000

What you are about to read is a product of the clickable nature of the Web. You see, through a link from a link, I came across an interesting study that was released less than a month ago from the Poynter Institute and Stanford University. The study (www.poynter.org/eyetrack2000) looked at the viewing patterns of online news sites by capturing both the eye movements of subjects (using funky infrared headgear) as well as the sites and pages they visited.

And the results were somewhat surprising.

Mmmm, more text please
Believe it or not, it was the text-headlines, articles and newsbriefs-that drew people in, not the graphics. Newsbriefs were looked at 82 percent of the time and articles were viewed 92 percent of the time.

While the subjects were on high bandwidth connections, some of this attributed to the idea of being used to slower connections. For older modem-type dial up connections, the text usually appears on the screen first while images are loading, thereby giving a visitor more time to look at the text.

Another is that most photos or graphics are constrained to the 72 dpi resolution of monitors as well as size constraints in order to minimize load times. In either case, what is usually constrained is the quality of the image, and so therefore the text is what
drives site visitors.

Something that has changed is the idea of scrolling. I used to preach that Web pages should minimize the need for users to scroll vertically and horizontally. While I still maintain the horizontal crusade, preliminary results from the study said that users found scrolling as part and parcel of finding and reading the information.

From news sites to your site
In a commentary on the findings, usability guru Jakob Nielsen (www.useit.com) adds a few caveats to those sites that aren’t online newspapers or e-zines. Nielsen makes a good point stating that while these news sites have built-in credibility, sites like your agency do not.

Strong efforts must be made to build a level of trust-without going overboard with the marketing hype. People go to the Web with a purpose to find something-information, e-mail addresses or even a quote. They visit news sites with the intention of reading news.

Nielsen notes that for business and e-commerce sites, expect visitors to want to read a whole lot less. That’s not to say you shouldn’t have the information, but provide it both ways. Let them be able to quickly scan a summary and a headline and link to full text.

Also remember this, higher bandwidth, faster connections, and more powerful computers allow a user to view multiple windows. The Poynter study pointed out (pun not intended) that most were operating multiple windows and jumping from page to page and site to site, using links and the back/forward buttons on their browser.

As Nielsen puts it, “There is not even such a thing as a ‘visit’ to a site.” He means that while people are checking out your site-or reading your agency information, or services offered, or getting a quote-they are also checking out your competition.

What to do, what to do
The Poynter study lays out two very important, yet almost common sense realizations.

1) For online text, stick to simple and straightforward headlines. While I may be able to get away with more cryptic and even cute subheadings in print, it’s not as effective online.

For example, let’s go back to our multiple browser windows. The title of the text is what is displayed in the dialog box on the Windows toolbar. If a user can’t remember what that cute and clever title actually refers to, they are more likely to close that window and move on.

2) Content needs to be effectively categorized and sub-categorized. Navigation is key to any site, especially for people who are coming to your site to read up on your agency. Tie it in with the finding that text jumps out more than graphics, and you realize it really is the copy that drives the user’s experience of your site.

You cannot take how you write for your site for granted. The online experience for finding, scanning or reading over text is dramatically different than it is for print-be it newspaper, magazine, or even brochure or newsletter. How effectively your site is designed, organized and presented will affect how your site is used-or not used.

Technocracy is a regular column designed to examine and explain new technology and how it applies to the insurance industry. Readers are encouraged to e-mail questions or comments to John Chivvis at ijwest@insurancejournal.com.

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