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How long is too long for the mobile screen?
“Only the biggest/most complex stories should go above 600 words,” counsels the BBC in its guide to writing news for the mobile screen.… Read the full article
Here’s an interesting dichotomy: Killing time is the killer app for mobile devices. But mobile users are in a hurry and “get visibly angry” at verbose sites that waste their time.… Read the full article
Readers are busy. Fluff takes space. Space takes time. So let’s cut the fluff and get on with it.
To cut the fluff, aim for a fact-to-fluff ratio of at least 1:1.… Read the full article
Simple sentences — subject, verb, object — are easiest to read, online or off.
That’s why Jan H. Spyridakis, professor of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington, suggests that you:
Just 8% of adults around the world can manage conflicting requests to reserve a meeting room using a reservation system, then email people to let them know whether they got the room they requested.… Read the full article
More than 400,000 dogs and cats find homes each year through PetSmart Charities’ in-store adoption programs and events. In fact, the organization grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America.… Read the full article
Usability guru Jakob Nielsen recommends condensing copy by 50% online.
That’s certainly a useful guideline. But no single, overarching rule makes sense all the time.… Read the full article
When usability guru Jakob Nielsen wanted to measure the effects of short web copy, he studied a web page about Nebraska.… Read the full article
Call it the bailout point.
People reading news on an iPad spent an average of 78.3 seconds on stories that they didn’t finish.… Read the full article
Not everyone wants to play, “What’s the last word in the headline?” says Andy Bechtel, associate professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill.… Read the full article
