Reading online hurts readers’ eyes, their bodies, their brains
I don’t know about you, but one of my goals in life is to never write anything that makes my readers throw up, resign or forget where they parked their car.… Read the full article
Ann Wylie’s blog of writing tips
What are the problems with reading on mobile devices?
Mobile reading costs time, attention, understanding and action
You may have heard that social scientists recently added a new item on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
The classic model of what drives human nature looked like this back in the day:
- Self actualization: the feeling of doing what you were put on this planet to do
- Esteem: feeling good about yourself and what you do
- Social needs: having love, a tribe, companionship
- Safety and security: not being afraid of getting eaten by a tiger
- Physiological needs: food and shelter
Our modern world has revealed another, even more basic human need …
… Wi-Fi.… Read the full article
‘Readers’ are skimming and scanning online
Web visitors spend only a few seconds on a webpage
Tick tock. Visitors spend less than four seconds on 25% of the web pages they visit, according to a study by University of Hamburg and University of Hannover researchers.… Read the full article
Skimmable text boosts web usability by 47%
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 Frontload your web page headlines
Get to the point faster by putting the topic up top
When it comes to web heads, focus on the front.
That is, place your topic words at the beginning of your headline.… Read the full article
Why get key content above the fold [statistics]?
And where is the fold, anyway?
“Instant gratification takes too long,” said Carrie Fisher, the late actress, author and wit.
When it comes to interacting with websites, she was certainly correct.… Read the full article
Modifiers are ‘the great deceivers’
‘The illusion of meaning without its substance’
Modifiers are “the great deceivers,” according to The Associated Press Guide to Good News Writing. “They give the illusion of specific meaning without its substance.”… Read the full article
Let’s get real
How much time will readers spend with your message?
Talk about TMI: Your readers receive the data equivalent of 174 newspapers — ads included — every single day, according to USC’s Annenberg School for Communication.… Read the full article
Try these 5 ChatGPT prompts for writing clearly
ChatGPT wrote this article. (Well, sort of …)
I had Mexican Monday with one of my favorite tech friends the other day. “Ann,” he says, “when are you going to start helping your clients use ChatGPT to write better messages faster?”… Read the full article
When to use an adjective or adverb
Use them to change, not intensify, meaning
Beware adverbs, counsels The Poynter Institute’s Roy Peter Clark.
Too often, they dilute the meaning of the verb or repeat it: “The building was completely destroyed.”… Read the full article