writing for the web in government and education
TRANSCRIPT
W R IT I N G FO R T H E W E BI N GOV ER N M EN T A N D E DUC AT I ON
H OW P E O P L E R E AD ON L I N E
SK I M M I N G A N D S AT I S F I C I N G
• F Patterns
• Headings and links
• Images and captions
• Bold phrases
F PATT E R N S
Source: Nielsen Norman Group, F-shaped Pattern for Reading Web Content
, April 2006
M O B IL E S C R E E N S IZ E S[ F I N D P EW S TAT S ON M OB I LE US AG E]
91%of all Americans own a cell phone
Source: Pew Research, Cell Internet Use 2013
34%of cell phone internet usersmostly use their phones
to access the internet
Source: Pew Research, Cell Internet Use 2013
4 yearsproportion of cell owners whouse their phone to go online has doubled(2009-2013)
Source: Pew Research, Cell Internet Use 2013
OTH E R WAYS OF RE A D ING A ND NAV I GAT ING
• Screen readers
• Keyboard controls
SC R E E N R E A DE R S
• Software that reads screens to the blind
• Reads everything aloud, in order
• Can read only headings
• Can read only links – out of context
SC R E E N R E A DE R D E M O
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PMuBQ7LyOw&t=5m10s
I M AG E S
• Images must have a text alternative
• Captions are optional
• Alt text• Describe the image for the visually impaired• How it looks, not who/what it is
• Captions• Identify people and places• Credit the photographer (when necessary)
ALT T EXT
A dark-colored beetle with bright yellow stripes and red-brown legs perches on a plant with spindly yellow flowers
The Locust Borer is a pest affecting the black locust tree. Both are common in Eastern North America. (Photo courtesy of WikiMedia)
C A P T I ON
TRA N S C R I PT S
• Audio: for the hearing impaired
• Video: for the visually impaired
• Required for accessibility
• Also helpful for search engines
TA B LE S
• Provide a summary of the table’s highlights or trends
PD FS
• Text PDFs vs. scanned images• Can you select the text?
• Document Properties• Title• Author• Summary
• Does this document need to be a PDF?• Probably yes / Probably no
P D F T I T L E S
E D I T I N G P D F T I T L E S
E D I T I N G P D F T I T L E S
AC C E SS I B I L I T Y I S S UE S
• Structure vs. presentation
• Alt text
• Transcripts
• Link text
• Keywords
• URLs
SE A RC H E N G I N E O P T I M I ZAT I O N
• Structure vs. presentation
• Alt text
• Transcripts
• Link text
• Keywords
• URLs
ACCE S S I B I L I T Y & S EO CH E CK L I S T
• Are headings styled as headings?
• Do all images have alt text?
• Do audio & video have transcripts?
• Do graphs, charts, and tables have summaries?
• Do image map regions have alt text?
W R IT I N G FO R T H E W E B
H E A D I N G S
• Page title and subheadings
• Keywords
• Questions!
• Heading styles, not bigger and bolder
Source: Usability.gov, Writing for the Web, June 2014
G O O D H E A D I N G S
• Verb phrases:• Filling out the Application
• Sentences:• You Must Get a Permit
• Phrases with pronouns and verbs:• What You Must Do First• Where do I get a permit?
Source: plainlanguage.gov, Headings, by Ginny Redish
G O O D H E A D I N G S
“How to” buries the action
• How to get a permit• How to fill out the permit• How to change your
address
• Getting a permit• Filling out the permit• Changing your address
Source: plainlanguage.gov, Headings, by Ginny Redish
ST Y L I N G H E A D I N G S
• Use Word heading styles
• Don’t make headings bolder and bigger
• Heading styles become HTML heading tags
• Structure conveys meaning• Search engines• Screen readers
• Appearance is meaningless
W O R D H E A D IN G S T Y L E S
NO
Y ES
C H U N K I N G
• Subheadings
• Prioritize
• Bullet lists
C H U N K I N G E X A M PL E :H I S TO RY O F T E X A S A & M F O R E S T S E RV IC E
• By subject• Establishment and early leaders• State forests• Urban forestry program• Fire protection program• Seedling nurseries
• By date
PA RAG RA PH L I ST S
The objectives of the Texas Forest Service were to persuade and aid private owners of forest land in practicing forestry and converting submarginal agricultural lands to productive forests; to protect private forest lands against forest wildfires, insects, and disease; to inform the public of the contribution that forests, a renewable natural resource, make to the economy of the state; to educate Texans in uses and abuses of forest products; and to assist forest products industries in developing new products and improving production techniques.
BU L LE T L I ST S
•The objectives of the Texas Forest Service were: • to aid private landowners in practicing forestry and
converting submarginal agricultural lands to productive forests
• to protect private forests against wildfires, insects, and disease
• to inform the public how forests contribute to the state’s economy
• to educate Texans in uses and abuses of forest products
• to help industries develop new products and improve production techniques
O M IT N E E D LE S S W O R DS
“C UT T E XT BY H A L F , TH E N BY H A LF AG A I N . ”
E XA M PLE
Like the term “weeds”, insect pests should be reserved for those insects causing unreasonable problems to the products we are trying to produce.
UN N E C E SS A RY ? R E DU N DA N T ?
Like the term “weeds”, insect pests should be reserved for those insects causing unreasonable problems to the products we are trying to produce.
R E PH RA S E
Like “weeds,” the term “pests” should be reserved for insects causing unreasonable problems.
Source: plainlanguage.gov, Wordiness Made Spare
PL A I N L ANG UAGE VS . BUR EAUCRACY
“Online readers expect a personal, upbeat tone in web writing.
They find bureaucratic writing so offensive and out-of-place that they simply ignore the message it's trying to convey.”
Source: New York University, Writing for the Web
PL A I N L A NG U AG E I N G OV ERN MEN T
• Plain Writing Act of 2010
• PlainLanguage.gov
• Usability.gov
• Center for Plain Language
E L I M I N ATE JA R G O N
• Arcane industry terms
• Acronyms
• Abbreviations
• Euphemisms
T H E O F F IC E O F N AT I O N A L S TAT I S T I C S
Statistician: Each Geographical Statistical Output (GSO) depicts an enumeration district.
Manager: Do you mean ‘each map’?
Statistician: No. We cannot call it a map because each GSO also contains a table.
Manager: OK. It's a map with a table.
Source: plainlanguage.gov, Keep it Jargon-free, by Nick Wright
“I soon realized solving Bosnia would be easier.”
-- George Robertson, English Defence Minister, on his attempt to cut out abbreviations and acronyms at the Ministry of Defence
Source: plainlanguage.gov, Keep it Jargon-free, by Nick Wright
E U PH E M I SM S A N D JA R G O N
Jargon Plain
Reduction in force Layoffs
Economic downturn Recession
Friendly fire Shot our own troopsInvoluntary undomiciled Homeless
Riverine avifauna River birdsSources: plainlanguage.gov, Keep it Jargon-free and
Avoid legal, foreign, and technical jargon
G O O G L E S E A RC H E S P E R M O N T H
40,000
“Low fares”Source: Gerry McGovern, Choosing the Right Classification Words,
October 2008
25 million“Cheap flights”
TO N E
• Active voice• Avoid passive verbs (it was done by…)• Take responsibility• Invite the reader to take action
• Personal address• Talk to a person, not an abstract group• The reader IS the audience• Be relevant
Source: plainlanguage.gov, Pronouns Can Establish a Personal Tone
AC T I V E VO I C E
Before:The Texas Forest Service was established by the legislature.
After:The legislature established the Texas Forest Service.
PE R S O N A L A D D R E SS
Before:This article will help students improve their study habits.
After:Learn to study more effectively.
L I N K S
• Descriptive• What will the reader find when she gets
there?• Unique
• Starts with a keyword
• File type and size warnings (PDF, 200MB)
Source: Nielsen Norman Group, Writing Links, March 2014.
N E V E R W R I T E “C L I C K H E R E ”
• What is the destination?
• The method doesn’t matter
• And it might not be “clicking” anyway• Tapping mobile screens• Keyboard navigation• Puff sticks and joysticks• Voice recognition
W H AT S C R E E N R E A D E R U S E R S H E A R•Click here•Click here•Click here•Click here•Click here•Click here•Click here
DO N ’T L I N K T O N O N E X I ST E N T PAG E S
N E V E R U N DE R L I N E N O N - L I N K E D TE XT
3 WAY S T O I NS E RT L I NK S I N W O R D
1. Control-K
2. Insert -> Hyperlink
3. Select phrase, right click, “hyperlink”
K E Y W O R D S
• How would people search for this page?• “how do I…?” is common
• Jargon AND vernacular• “low fares” and “cheap flights”
• Two- to four-word phrases are best
UR L S
http://tfs.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=13944
http://tfs.tamu.edu/request-assistance-with-forest-recovery-after-wildfire
/foresthealth/
/foresthealth/insects/
S UM M A RY
W R I T I N G A G O O D W E B PAG E
• Identify and address the audience• Chunk the text by topic or task• Cut half the words• Eliminate jargon• Write task-based headings and descriptive
links• Add alt text and captions to images• Summarize tables and charts• Include keywords in the URL
TO O L S
• Style Guide and Page Template
• PlainLanguage.gov Quick Tips
• Plain language checklists• Center for Plain Language checklist• PlainLanguage.gov checklist
• Accessibility checklist