,

Subject Index

A

Above the fold, 43
Accessibility
allowing adjustment to type size, 148, 257
alt text, 304-305
and on-page layering, 124
and PDFs, 89
and sans serif type, 145
blind users scan with their ears, 102, 320
for color-blind people, 156
importance of heading tags, 237
not use Click here, More, 320
of illustrations, 304
starting headings with a key word, 247
where to find requirements, 19
Acrobat Reader, 85, 90
Action, putting in verbs, 194-195
Action phrases
as headings, 249-250
for links, 315
Active space, 137-140
Active voice, 181-184
Adobe Acrobat 8.0, 89
Adobe Software, 85, 300
Ads, not making content look like, 296
Alignment, patterns and, 129-131
All capitals, not writing in, 150-151
Alt text, 304-305
Animation
when to use, 299-300
weighing trade-offs, 299
Answers to questions, presenting as tables, 228-229
Archived paper documents, summarizing, 119-121
Articles
layering from brief description to full, 114
layering from main, 114-116
revising, 200-203
writing, 178
Audiences
considering broad web, 198-199
gathering information about, 13-14
global, 289-290
listing characteristics for, 14-19
demographics, 18-19
emotions, 16-17
experience, expertise, 15-16
key phrases or quotes, 15
social and cultural environments, 18
technology, 17-18
values, 17
listing major, 12-13
steps to understanding, 12-27
audiences’ questions, tasks, and stories, 19
gathering information about audiences, 13-14
listing characteristics for audiences, 14-19
listing major audiences, 12-13
persona’s goals and tasks, 24-25
using information to create personas, 19-24
writing scenarios for sites, 24-27
successful writers focus on, 12
when they are not comfortable with PDF files, 88-89

B

Back button, keeping people from needing, 65-66
Background of the screen
dark, 154-155
good contrast between text and, 152-155
keeping clear so text is readable, 152
light, 152-154
Big picture, focusing on, 338-339
Blicq, Ron, 105
Blinking text or pictures, why to avoid, 296-299
Blogging, 1, 33, 177, 329
Bold headings, 257-258
Bottoms, false, avoiding, 140-141
Brand, establishing, 31
Brinck, Tom, 58, 65, 294, 329
Browsers, Acrobat Reader works differently from, 90
Bullets, 211-212
establishing personality to use for, 214-215
matching to one’s site’s personality, 212-216
meaning of, 215-216
using with links, 326

C

Capitals, not writing in all, 150-151
Case studies
applying several guidelines to one paragraph, 199-200
breaking down walls of words, 107
legal and clear privacy policies, 269-271
opening layers on same web page, 121
question headings and site visitors, 243-244
revising entire web article, 200-203
revising home page of portal, 46-50
revising poorly designed web page, 156-161
starting with context, 193-194
summarizing archived paper documents, 119-121
untangling convoluted sentences, 188-190
using users’ questions to plan web pages, 96
what people do on pathway pages, 55
Centering text, not, 143-144
Chadwick-Dias, Ann, 315
Charts, graphs, and maps, 284-287
Charts and graphs, writing key message titles for, 286-287
Checklists
for creating a consistent design, 135
process for cutting down to essential messages, 98
process for selecting web content, 95
Clark, H. H., 194
Clicks, number of, 63-66
Cluttered appearance, 129
Colleagues
asking them to read and comment, 335-337
working with them to get uniform style and tone, 337
Color-blind users, color usage and, 156
Colors
of background, 152
choosing appropriately, 155-156
in headings, 151, 152, 257-258
of key messages, 248
cultural meaning of, 155
readability of, 152-155
as related to site’s personality, 31, 33
for reviewer questions, 342
for unvisited links, 326-327
for visited links, 327-328
Columns or rows, formatting of, 231-232
Community, joining web, 8
Complex instructions, presenting as steps, 222
Comprehension, reading, 145-146
Consistency
of layout and presentation, 33, 133, 134, 312, 313
in writing, 173, 339
Constraints, web content and, 122
Content, 1-9
and ads, 296
and design, 136-137
building web site up from, 51
division of. See Division of content
keeping active space in, 137-140
outlining, 239
PDF files and, 85-86
presenting/writing for users who skim, 2-3
process for selecting, 95
revising, 238
using illustrations to support, 292-293
using large enough type for, 148
Contrast between text and background, 152-155
Convoluted sentences, untangling, 188-190
Cooper, Alan, 19
Copy editing, 339
Coyne, Kara Pernice, 103, 251
Criss, Brian, 124
Cultural environments, social and, 18
Cultural meaning of colors, 155
Cutting down to essential messages, 98-102

D

Dark background, light text on, 154-155
Dark text, light background and, 152-154
Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), 78
Data reporting, 287
Decorative graphics, 305
Default type, setting, 147
Demographics, 18-19
Descriptions, short, 37-40, 59-61, 317-318
Descriptive links, longer, 316-317
Design
active space, 137-140
avoiding false bottoms, 140-141
background and text contrast, 152-155
choosing color, 155-156
consistency, 135
fluid layout, 149-150
headings and spacing, 141-142
integrating, 136-137
page elements, 129-131
patterns and alignment, 129-131
plan consistent, 134-135
revising poorly designed web pages, 156-161
technology and writing, 6
text formatting
alignment, 143-144
italics, 151-152
sans serif type, 144-146
size of type, 146-149
underlining, 151-152
use of capitals, 150-151
using space effectively, 137-140
working with templates, 137
Design process, user-centered, 7
Diagrams. See Illustrations
Dictionaries, 333-334
Dimensions and ratios, 281-283
DITA. See Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)
Division of content
by people, 75-77
by questions people ask, 79-80
by sequence, 73-74
by task, 74-75
by time, 73-74
by type of information, 77-78
Document titles and headings that turn into links, 310-311
Documents
breaking up large, 69-80
information on paper, 279
summarizing archived paper, 119-121
when not to use PDF, 87
Download time, 84
Downloading software, 88-89
Draft to final web pages, getting from, 329-348
getting feedback from colleagues, 335-337
putting ego in drawer, 337
reviewing and editing own work, 330-335
reviews and web site visitors, 339-343
think of writing as revising drafts, 330
working with writing specialist or editor, 338-339
Drafts
getting feedback from others, 335
sharing partial, 336
web, 332-333
writing and revising, 330
Dumbing down, writing informally is not, 171-172
Dusold, Laurence, 119, 120

E

Editing own work, 330-335
Editor, working with, 338-339
Embedding links, 323-325
Emotions, 16-17
Empty alt text, 305
Environment, social and cultural, 18
Essential messages
clarity of, 101-102, 185
cutting excess words and content, 98-100, 187
determining what is important to user, 94-97
layering information and, 114-118
length of paragraphs and, 107
marketing information and, 110-113
starting with key points, 102-106
using inverted pyramid style for, 102-106
use of lists and, 107
Eye-tracking, 102-103, 251

F

Facts, checking, 331-332
False bottoms, 140-141
FDA. See Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Feedback
getting online, 336
paying attention to, 337
Final web pages, getting from draft to, 329-348
Flash, 300-304
Fluid layout, 149-150
Font, sans serif, 144-146
Fonts and types families, 144
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 119
Forms
filling and not filling out, 44
and home pages, 41
how people access, 108
information on fields on online, 279
positioning on home pages, 41-43
what they found, 109
Fragments, 185
Full articles, layering from brief descriptions to, 114
Full screens and high resolution, 42

G

Gender-neutral writing, 176-177
Global audiences, 289-290
Good reviews, setting up, 340-341
Grab and go writing, 5-6
Graphics, decorative, 305
Graphs, 284-287
Grouping of content. See Division of content
Groups. See Audiences; User groups

H

Handbooks, using, 333-334
Haviland, Susan, 194
He, using you rather than, 175
Headings
action phrases as, 249-250
distinguishing from text, 257-258
evaluating, 260-261
floating, problems with, 141-142
formatting of, 257-258
levels of, 256-257
as links, 310-311
nouns and noun phrases as, 250-254
outlining content with, 239
parallelism in, 255-256
qualities of good, 235-236
questions and, 240-247
revising articles and, 238
as same-pages links, 258-260
spacing around, 141-142
as starting point, 236-237
statements as, 247-248
using site visitors’ words in, 255, 264-265
High resolution and full screens. See Monitors, display
Home pages, 29-51
building site up from content, 51
content of, 37-40
directing users to internal pages, 44-45
establishing brand, 31
as explanation of site’s purpose, 36-37
and forms, 41
and getting to key tasks, 41-44
identifying site, 31
place forms high on, 41-43
of portal, 46-50
setting tone and personality of site, 31-35
and short descriptions, 37-40

I

I (personal pronoun)
in articles, 178
for blogging, 177
for site visitors, 180-181
“If, then” sentences, using tables for series of, 227-228
Illustrations
animation and, 299-300
appearance of (vs. ads), 296
charts, graphs, and maps, 284-287
choosing appropriate size for, 276, 291-292
clear use of, 290-291
diversity in, 294-296
emotional response and, 287-290
of exact items, 274-280
Flash and, 300-304
making accessible, 304-305
movement and, 296-299
purposes of, 273-274, 280-284
splash and, 300-304
using to support content, 292-293
Imperatives, using in instructions, 175
Information
clear writing techniques applied to legal, 268-269
divide web content by type of, 77-78
embedding links and staying with, 323-325
focusing on, 231-233
gathering about audiences, 13-14
getting from reviewers, 341-342
give it its own place, 188-190
goals, 25
legible, 263
market by giving useful, 110-113
printing legal, 264
providing to web users, 122-124
using to create personas, 19-24
writing, 69-92
Instructions
complex, 222
using action phrase headings for, 249-250
using imperatives in, 175
using numbered lists for, 216-218
Interpreting and reading, 11
Inverted pyramid style, 102-106
Italics, 151-152

J

Jarrett, Caroline, 4, 108, 135, 238

K

Key messages. See also Essential messages
asking people what are, 335
giving statement headings to convey, 247-248
Key points, start with, 102-106
Key tasks, starting, 41-44
Keywords, starting with, 247

L

Language
avoiding archaic legal, 266-268
avoiding technical, 265
Large documents, breaking up, 69-80
break web content into topics and subtopics, 73-80
think topic, not book, 70-73
Launch, process that moves from plan to, 135-136
Layering
from brief description to full article, 114
in innovative ways, 119
from main article to other information on web pages, 114-116
opening on same web page, 121
from part of page to short explanation, 116-118
Layout. See Design
Legal information
avoiding archaic legal language, 266-268
avoiding technical language, 265
clear writing techniques for, 268-269
making information legible, 263
printing legal information, 264
using site visitors’ words in headings, 264-265
Legibility, 263
Length, table, 231
Levels of headings, using no more than two, 256
Light background and dark text, 152-154
Light text on dark background, 154-155
Links
checking, 331
color of, 326-327
coordinating multiple, 322-323
document titles as, 310-311
embedding, 323-325
headings as, 260, 310-311
and home pages, 37-40
for new program and product names, 308-310
and page titles, 312-313
rewriting, 317-318
same-page, 259-260
short descriptions to go with, 317-318
underlining and, 151-152
using bullets with, 326
visited vs. unvisited, 326-328
wording of, 45, 314, 315, 316-317, 318-322
List items, numbering, 224-225
Lists
bulleted, 212-216, 224-225
combined with maps, 284-286
ease of use, 206-207
formatting of, 209-212
guidelines for writing, 205
for instructions, 216-222
length of, 207-209
numbered, 216-218
vs. paragraphs, 218-221
sentence structure in (parallelism), 223
spacing around, 210
Loranger, Hoa, 2, 3, 4, 44, 66

M

Main article, layering from, 114-116
Major audiences, listing, 12-13
Maps, 284-287
Marketing moments, 112-113
Marketing
by giving useful information, 110-113
on pathway page, 61-63
specializes in push, 112
timing of, 112-113
Message titles, writing key, 286-287
Messages
asking people what are key, 335
fitting into space available, 148
key, 247-248
Messages, essential, 93-125
clarity of, 101-102, 185
cutting excess words and content, 98-100, 187
determining what is important to user, 94-97
layering information and, 114-118
length of paragraphs and, 107
marketing information and, 110-113
starting with key points, 102-106
using inverted pyramid style for, 102-106
use of lists and, 107
Monitors, display, 42
effect on text wraps, 149-150
efficient use of screen real estate and, 137-140
false bottoms as result of, 140-141
placement of Search box and, 43
screen resolution of, 42

N

Names
of organization, 180
of products, 308-310
Navigation column and same-page links, 259-260
Needs of users, 94-97
New program and product names, 308-310
New research on web, 145-146
Nielsen, Jakob, 2, 3, 4, 44, 66, 103, 104, 251
Notes, scope, 58
Noun and noun phrase headings, using, 250-254
Nouns
action and, 194-195
mixing with you, 173
single, 316-317
using appropriately, 173-174
Numbered lists, using for instructions, 216-218
Numbers, using tables and comparing, 226-227

O

Old research on paper, 145
One paragraph, applying several guidelines to, 199-200
One-sentence paragraphs, 191
Online experiences, 302
Online feedback, 336
Online forms, information on paper documents and fields on, 279
Order, reversing, 193
Organization of content. See Division of content
Organizations
showing the people, 177-181
talking about it by name, 180
using we for, 180-181
writing for, 178-179
Outlining content with headings, 239

P

Pages
elements of, 129-131
layering from part of, 116-118
putting Search near top of, 43
Page titles, matching links and, 312-313
Pages, home. See Home pages
Pages, pathway. See Pathway pages
Pages, splash, 301
Paper documents
information on, 279
PDF files and, 90
summarizing archived, 119-121
Paper to web, link headings as one moves from, 260
Paragraphs
applying several guidelines to, 199-200
keeping short, 191-192
lists and tables vs., 192
one-sentence, 191
turning into steps, 218-221
Parallelism, 255-256
Partial drafts, sharing, 336
Passive and active space, 138
Pathway pages, 53-68
as table of contents, 58
function of, 55
“good scent” and, 54
internal site pages functioning as, 66-68
learnings from case study, 57
order of links on, 66
paragraphs and marketing on, 61-63
short descriptions for links on, 59-61
skimming of, 54
smoothness of path versus number of clicks, 63-66
Patterns and alignment, 129-131
PDF. See Portable document format (PDF)
People’s questions, good web writing answers, 5
Personality of site, setting tone and, 31-35
Personas, 22-25
Photos evoking mood wanted, 288-289
Phrase headings
action, 249-250
using noun, 250-254
Phrases, action, 315
Phrases or quotes, 15
Pictures
emotional responses and, 287-290
of exact items, 274-280
and helping people, 279
to illustrate concept or process, 280-284
larger, 276
as link between print and web, 279-280
movement of, 296-299
of people, 294-296
small, 291-292
space for, 292
Plan to launch, process that moves from, 135-136
Policies, privacy, 269-271
Portable document format (PDF) files
and accessibility, 89
appropriateness of, 86
for audiences not comfortable with, 88-89
and downloading software, 88-89
optimized for printed page, 90
and paper documents, 90
reasons for not using, 86, 89-90
and web content, 85-86
vs. web style, 90
Portal, revising home page of, 46-50
Press releases, 163-170
Printing
how much people will, 84-85
and PDF files, 90
Print and web, picture link between, 279-280
Printing legal information, 264
Privacy policies, 269-271
Processes
showing in pictures, 284
that move from plan to launch, 135-136
Product names, 308-310
Program names, 308-310
Pronouns
he vs. you, 175
I, 177, 178, 180-181
she vs. you, 175
we, 178-181
you, 172-177, 180-181
Pull technology, web as, 112
Push, marketing specializes in, 112
Pyramid style, inverted, 102-106

Q

Quesenbery, Whitney, 135
Question headings, making, 243-244
Questions
and answers, 180-181
good web writing and, 5
and headings, 240-247
length of, 245
from site visitor’s point of view, 245
Quotes, key phrases or, 15

R

Ratios, dimension and, 281-283
Readability, background and, 152
Reading
interpreting while, 11
speed or comprehension of, 145-146
web users and, 2-4
Reporting, data, 287
Research, 145-146
Review of one’s own work, 330-335
Reviewers, working with, 339-343
Revising drafts, 330
Rewriting links, 317-318
Roddis, Ian, 135, 136
Rolling text, why to avoid, 296-299
Rows in tables, 231-232

S

Same-page links
placement of, 259-260
when moving from paper to web, 260
for topics with headings, 258-260
Sans serif font, 144-146
Scanlan, Chip, 105
Scenarios
considering site visitors, 25-26, 190
web sites fulfilling, 27
web users and their, 121
and writing good web content, 27
Scent of information, 54
Scope notes, 58
Screens
full, 42
reading from, 87-88
Search, placement of, 43
Sentence structures, parallelism, 223
Sentences
action words in, 194-195
cutting unnecessary words, 187
first in paragraph, 192-194
length of, 185
putting action in verbs, 194-195
revising into good web writing, 189
subject and verb placement in, 188-190
untangling convoluted, 188-190
and use of first-person pronouns, 177-181
and use of second-person pronouns, 172-177
and users’ reading level/terminology, 195-199
using tables for “if, then” series, 227-228
untangling convoluted, 188-190
writing in active voice, 181-184
writing in straightforward manner, 185-186
She, using you rather than, 175
Short descriptions for links, 37, 59-61, 317-318
Short sentences, 185
Single nouns, 316-317
Site visitors
and effect on choice of colors, 155-156
overloading, 83-84
point of view, 245
and question headings, 243-244
scenarios and, 190
setting default type large for, 147
talking to one’s, 172-177
use I and you for, 180-181
use you for, 180-181
using their words in headings, 255, 264-265
Sites
building up from content, 51
considering as a whole when designing, 131-137
identifying, 31
as selling tools, 111
purpose of home pages for, 36-40
setting tone and personality of, 31-35
writing scenarios for, 24-27
Social and cultural environments, 18
Software, downloading, 88-89
Space
active, 137-140
between long items, 210-211
for message, 148
passive and active, 138
for pictures, 292
using effectively, 137-140
Speed, reading, 145-146
Spell checker, 334-335
Splash, 300-304
Spool, Jared, 66, 274, 317
Statement headings, 247-248
Steps
giving complex instructions as, 222
numbering list items and, 224-225
turning paragraphs into, 218-221
Stream of traffic, 108
Style
finding one’s voice and, 186
guides, 333-334
inverted pyramid, 102-106
tone and, 337
Subtopics, 73-80

T

Table of contents, pathway pages like, 58
Tables
alignment of text in, 233
formatting of, 230-233
guidelines for creating web, 206, 226-233
vs. lists, 226
vs. paragraphs, 192
using for answers to questions, 228-229
using to compare numbers, 226-227
using for “if, then” series, 227-228
what to put in left columns of, 229-230
Tahir, Marie, 23
Technical language, avoiding, 265
Templates, working with, 137
Text
adjustment of, 149
formatting of
alignment of, 143-144
dark, 152-154
distinguishing headings from, 257-258
italics, 151-152
light, 154-155
setting default, 147
sizing, 146-149, 257-258
underlining, 151-152
use of capitals, 150-151
readability of, 152
rolling, 297
in tables, 233
wandering, 296-299
Theofanos, Mary, 305
Titles
document, 310-311
matching links and page, 312-313
writing key message, 286-287
Tone
of writing, 337
of site, 31-35
Type. See Text
Type families, fonts and, 144

U

Underlining and links, 151-152
Unvisited and visited links, 326-328
Usability testing
of current content, 7-8, 14
to gauge photo selections, 296
to test default type, 146
User-centered design process, 7
Users, 11-28. See also Audiences
considering when writing content, 12, 240-247
and control of online experiences, 148, 302
determining needs of, 94-97
dividing web content based on, 75-77
keeping pathways smooth for, 65-66
pathway pages and, 55
printing by, 84-85
types of, 26-27, 156
values of, 17
welcoming, 302
Users’ questions, using to plan web page, 96

V

Videos at beginning of site, 302-304
Visited links, 327-328
Vocabulary, 24
Voice and style, 186

W

Wandering text or pictures, 296-299
Waving text or pictures, 296-299
We for writing about organizations, 178-181
Web article, revising entire, 200-203
Web audience. See Audiences
Web community, joining, 8
Web drafts, 332-333
Web pages
amount people want in visits, 81-83
connectedness of information, 81-83
deciding how much to put on one, 80-85
designing, 128-156
getting from draft to final, 329-348
layering from main article, 114-116
length of, 83-84
opening layers on same, 121
PDFs and, 90
revising poorly designed, 156-161
tables in. See Tables
using users’ questions to plan, 96
Web sites. See also Sites
fulfilling scenarios, 27
people, content and, 1-2
plan consistent design across, 134-135
Web users. See Audiences; Users
Welcoming people, 302
Word choice, common words, 198-199
Writing, 12
articles and use of I, 178
as a conversation, 4-5
design, technology and, 6
gender-neutral, 176-177
grab and go, 5-6
headings as starting point for, 236-237
informal style of, 171-172
inverted pyramid style, 102-106
key message titles, 286-287
links, 45, 314, 315, 316-317, 318-322. See also Links
for organizations, 178-179
and revising drafts, 330
techniques for, 268-269
as way to answer users’ questions, 5
Writing specialist, working with, 338-339

X

Xerox PARC, 54

Y

You
not mixing nouns and, 173
use for site visitor, 180-181
using, 172-177
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