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Digital Writing: Jacob Nielsen on Usable Writing

The study of how people interact with websites has several branches. The inventor of one branch, called “usability,” is Jacob Nielsen. I’ve been reading his column since the mid-nineties.

In general, his advice is the same as any first-year journalism class, only intensified for the internet attention-span.

To condense more than a dozen years of research into a checklist, here’s the Nielsen guide to improving your digital writing:

  • Headlines are everything — you’ve got two words to sell it
  • Be direct and simple — users scan for “information scent”
  • Keep it short — a percentage of readers click away after every paragraph.
  • Be actionable — online readers are looking for answers, not anecdotes
  • Write scannable copy — use subheads to emphasize your keywords and concepts. Break up your articles into digestible chunks
  • Be objective — readers want facts and credible sources.
  • Use lots of links — don’t describe if you can illustrate

Here’s an old but great analysis of the BBC’s headlines.Nielsen explains why he loves them:

  • short (because people don’t read much online);
  • rich in information scent, clearly summarizing the target article;
  • front-loaded with the most important keywords (because users often scan only the beginning of list items);
  • understandable out of context (because headlines often appear without articles, as in search engine results); and
  • predictable, so users know whether they’ll like the full article before they click (because people don’t return to sites that promise more than they deliver).

And here are his examples:

On a recent visit, the BBC list of headlines for “other top stories” read as follows:

* Italy buries first quake victims
* Romania blamed over Moldova riots
* Ten arrested in UK anti-terrorism raids
* Villagers hurt in West Bank clash
* Mass Thai protest over leadership
* Iran accuses journalist of spying

Around the world in 38 words.

Source: Useit.com

Filed Under: Digital Journalism, Uncategorized Tagged With: digital writing, jacob nielsen, journalism class, usability, writing headlines

Charlie Rogers Charlie Rogers

Chief content officer, editor-in-chief, managing editor, launch manager, and product strategist on dozens of digital ventures, for companies including NBC, Conde Nast, Time Warner, Martha Stewart and Random House.
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