FACT OF LIFE #1:
June 14, 2001
We don't read pages. We scan them.
One of the very few well-documented facts about Web use is that people
tend to spend very little time reading most Web pages.
1
Instead, we
scan (or skim) them, looking for words or phrases that catch our eye.
The exception, of course, is pages that contain documents like news
stories, reports, or product descriptions. But even then, if the
document is longer than a few paragraphs, we're likely to print it
out because it's easier and faster to read on paper than on a screen.
Why do we scan?
- We're usually in a hurry. Much of our Web use is
motivated by the desire to save time. As a result, Web users tend to
act like sharks: They have to keep moving, or they'll die. We just
don't have the time to read any more than necessary.
- We know we don't need to read everything. On
most pages, we're really only interested in a fraction of what's on
the page. We're just looking for the bits that match our interests
or the task at hand, and the rest of it is irrelevant. Scanning is
how we find the relevant bits.
- We're good at it. We've been scanning newspapers,
magazines, and books all our lives to find the parts we're interested
in, and we know that it works.
The net effect is a lot like Gary Larson's classic Far Side cartoon
about the difference between what we say to dogs and what they hear.
In the cartoon, the dog (named Ginger) appears to be listening
intently as her owner gives her a serious talking-to about staying
out of the garbage. But from the dog's point of view, all he's saying
is "blah blah GINGER blah blah blah blah GINGER blah blah blah."
What we see when we look at a Web page depends on what we have in
mind, but it's usually just a fraction of what's on the page.
What designers build...
 |
What users see...
 |
I want to buy a ticket. |
 |
How do I check my frequent flyer miles? |
Like Ginger, we tend to focus on words and phrases that seem to match
(a) the task at hand or (b) our current or ongoing personal interests.
And of course, (c) the trigger words that are hardwired into our
nervous systems, like "Free," Sale," and "Sex," and our own name.
1. See Jakob Nielson's October 1997 Alertbox column, "How Users Read
on the Web" available at
www.useit.com
Don't Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Don't Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
FACT OF LIFE #2:
|
