How Users Read on the Web (轉)[@more@] 一篇沒有翻譯完的，但是大概已經有一些了，希望對 UI有幫助

How Users Read on the Web:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas--com::office" />

They don't.

People rarely read Web pages by word; instead, they the page, picking out individual words and sentences. In a John Morkes and I found that 79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word.

很少逐字逐句讀一個網頁（16%的人這麼做），大多數人採用掃描的方式去讀（佔79%）

As a result, Web pages have to employ scannable text, using

• highlighted keywords (hypertext links serve as one foof highlighting; typeface variations and color are others)
• meaningful sub-headings (not "clever" ones)
• bulleted lists
• one a per paragraph (users will skover any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph)
• the style, starting with the conclusion.
• half the word count (or less) than conventional writing

結果表明：網頁的文字應該是能被掃描的：

• 突出的關鍵字（包含超連結，字型和顏色的變化，與眾不同）
• 有深度的子標題（而不是膚淺的）
• 圓點列表
• 每段一個主題（如果一段的前幾句話沒有吸引住使用者，他們往往跳過其他的內容）
• 倒金字塔結構，從結論開始
• 用傳統方式下一半或更少的字

We found that credibility is important for Web users, since it is unclear who is behind information on the Web and whether a page can be trusted. Credibility can be increased by high-quality graphics, , and use of outbound hypertext links. Links to other sites show that the authors have done their homework and are not afraid to let readers visit other sites.

對於Web讀者，可信度是最重要的，因為他們不清楚資訊的幕後是誰，這個網頁是否可以相信。提高可信度的辦法有：高質量的圖片、好文筆、以及連出去的超連結。不要擔心讀者訪問別人的網站，連到別人的站上讓讀者看到作者是盡職盡責的。

 

Users detested "marketese"; the promotional writing style with boastful subjective claims ("hottest ever") that currently is prevalent on the Web. Web users are busy: they want to get the straight facts. Also, credibility suffers when users clearly see that the site exaggerates.

使用者討厭商業口號。現在很流行在網站上寫“真誠到永遠”之類的主觀的口號。使用者很忙，他們想得到直接的事實。所以他們看到誇張的行為時，站點的可信度就降低了。

Measuring the Effect of Improved Web Writing

改善網站書寫的效果評測

To measure the effect of some of the content guidelines we had identified, we developed five different versions of the same website (same basic information; different wording; same site navigation). We then had users perform the same tasks with the different sites. As shown in the table, was dramatically higher for the concise version (58% better) and for the scannable version (47% better). And when we combined three ideas for improved writing style into a single site, the result was truly stellar: 124% better usability.

 

為了評測一下我們確定的一些網站內容指導方針，我們為同一個網站（同樣的內容，不同的措辭，同樣的站點導航）做了五個不同的版本。然後我們讓使用者在不同的站上做相同的事情。正如下表顯示的，簡單版本的可用性提高了58%，可掃描版本提高了47%。當我們把三種寫作風格用在一個網站上之後，可用性提高了124%。

 

Site Version

Sample Paragraph

Usability Improvement
(relative to control condition)

Promotional writing (control condition)
using the "marketese" found on many commercial websites

Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), tts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the PrairPioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).

0%
(by definition)

Concise text
with about half the word count as the control condition

In 1996, six of the best-attended attractions in Nebraska were Fort Robinson State Park, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum, , Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park.

58%

Scannable layout
using the same text as the control condition in a layout that facilitated scanning

Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, 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)
• (86,598)
• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002)
• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).

47%

ive language
using neutral rather than subjective, boastful, or exaggerated language (otherwise the same as the control condition)

Nebraska has several attractions. In 1996, some of the most-visited places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).

27%

Combined version
using all three improvements in writing style together: concise, scannable, and objective

In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were:

• Fort Robinson State Park
• Scotts Bluff National Monument
• Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park

124%

It was somewhat surprising to us that usability was improved by a good deal in the objective language version (27% better). We had expected that users would like this version better than the promotional site (as indeed they did), but we thought that the performance metrics would have been the same for both kinds of language. As it turned out, our four performance measures (time, errors, memory, and site structure) were also better for the objective version than for the promotional version. Our conjecture to explain this finding is that promotional language imposes a cognitive burden on users who have to spend res on filtering out the hyperbole to get at the facts. When people read a paragraph that starts "Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions," their first reaction is no, it's not, and this thought slows them down and distracts them from using the site.

 

我的感想：網站內容最好的書寫方式看來就和寫自己的簡歷差不多