Post on 06-Feb-2016
description
• Louisa Lambregts, Learning and Teaching Services
Tips for Making Web and Learning Materials Impactful
Don’t Make Me Read!
Don’t Make Me Read!Creating Web Content With Impact
Louisa Lambregts, Learning and Teaching Services
How do we process web information?
Visual design of information• Text formatting• Layout• Show vs Tell
Usability and Accessibility
Plain Language
Key design decisions
Topics
What ? Why ? Who ?
What do we want to say? Why do we want to say it? Who are we saying it to?
Less is better.
Have a strong purpose and to follow that to the end.
http://www.digital-web.com/articles/form_vs_function/
From Don’t Make Me Think : A Common Sense Approach to Web UsabilitySteve Krug
From Don’t Make Me Think : A Common Sense Approach to Web UsabilitySteve Krug
How Do Review Web Information
Web Behaviours
Scan rather than read
Impatient
Pause at “first reasonableoption”
Web Behaviours
Visual scanning moves from general perception of contrast through to finer levelsof attention. Last step is reading of headers.
Reading online can be sore on the eyes. Not to mention, people do not read on the web –they scan the text. Now, more than ever, it is easy for all our electronic correspondence to be misunderstood if we are reading to get the gist of things.We are overloaded with information. Itis easier to understand pictures than it isto read a written descriptions. What can we do to get our messages across better?
Don’t Make Me Read!
Louisa Lambregts, Learning and Teaching Services
Tips for Making Web and Learning Materials Impactful
Attempt #1
• Louisa Lambregts, Learning and Teaching Services
Tips for Making Web and Learning Materials Impactful
Don’t Make Me Read!
Don’t Make Me Read!Creating Web Content With Impact
Louisa Lambregts, Learning and Teaching Services
Text as graphical elements
Optimize for visual scanning
White space
Alignment
Pattern and repetition
Contrast and focus
Consistency
Visual Design
Graphic design is visual information management using the tools of layout, typography, and illustration to lead the reader's eye through the page.
http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/7-page-design/3-visual-design.html
What is Graphic Design?
Graphic design is
• visual information management
• uses layout, typography, and illustration
• leads the reader's eye through the page.
Paraphrased from: http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/7-page-design/3-visual-design.html
Graphic design is
visual information management using the tools of layout, typography,and illustration to lead the reader's eye through the page.
http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/7-page-design/3-visual-design.html
Balance, Unity and Focus
Balance, Unity and Focus
Chunking and White Space
Line Spacing
[Type a quote from the documentOr the summary of an interesting point. You can position the text box anywherein the document. Use the Text Box Tools tab to change the formatting .]
Be Aware of Graphic Distractions
http://www.webdesignhelper.co.uk/design_elements/design_theory/design_theory8/design_theory8.shtml
A Little Bit About Typography Serif Sans-Serif
Times Roman Arial
Georgia Century Gothic
Web-friendly
Content separate from presentation
Style sheets
Use formatting elements for their true function – not for styling
Use bold and italics for emphasis, not styling
Use header styles – avoid manual font sizing
Formatting and Accessibility
Use styles and headers for visual hierarchy
Adjust line and paragraph spacing
Reserve underlines for hyperlinks
Add links within content to additional information
Use bold and italics for emphasis, not styling
Left-align paragraphs rather than centre them
Formatting Tips
Formatting Tips
Writing
From: http://www.bloggingprweb.com/effective-press-release-format-inverted-pyramid
Plain language use
Inverted pyramid
Use active language
Avoid passive voice unless the a polite tone is required
When the process of freeing a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area.
Writing Example #1
Result
If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive away.
Writing Examples #1
In response to the concerns, the NCAA announced that the baseball rules committee will recommend a maximum batted-ball exit velocity of 93 mph and a change in the size and weight specs of non-wooden bats beginning with the 1999 season.
Writing Example #2
Result
NCAA Suggests Batting Changes
Growing concerns over size and weights of bats resulted in the following changes starting with the 1999 season:
• Batted-ball exit speed maximum of 93 mph
• Change in size and weight specifications for non wooden bats
Writing Examples #1
Vigorous writing is concise.
A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing shouldhave no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
William Strunk Jr., in Elements of Style
Questions?
Contact Me!
Louisa LambregtsTwitter #lambrel
X-6012
lambrel@algonquincollege.com