Who Reads Websites?

When talking about content on the web, you can never assume people will read every word. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, people only read 20% of the words on screen during an average visit. While this data is from 2008, if you watch anyone use a digital device around you, you’ll probably agree this number hasn’t improved since then.

There’s a tendency to want to save the best content for last. However, as attention spans are short and every product is vying for your attention, it’s essential to get information in front of users right away.

More content doesn’t make something better. You want to think about content critically, so you create less work, not more. Ultimately, the user should be the hero of the journey.

Content guides the way

We’ve all had frustrating experiences using apps and websites. Often these experiences could have been improved by adding a few words. There’s a subtly between “click here,” “buy now,” and “make a purchase” that can motivate users to complete different actions. Words in products can help guide the user through an experience. It’s also important to consider how words can guide users to find a way back when they’re stuck. You want happy, not frustrated users, so they should never arrive at a dead end.

Under the umbrella of UX design, UX writing, content strategy, and content design are sub-fields that have emerged and are bringing new attention to the value of content. Each focuses on considering content early in the design process, so it’s not an afterthought. This is thinking content first.

The descriptions presented below attempt to define each field—content strategy, UX design, and content design—however, depending on your country or your company culture, each title may mean something different to different people. Similarly, the terms copy, text, words, or language can all be used to talk about content. 

Content strategy

Content Strategy on the Web by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rauch, was one of the first books addressing the subject. In the book, they define content strategy as what guides your plans for the creation, delivery, and governance of content. While the title addresses content strategy “for the web,” the concepts reach much wider and can be applied to anything digital or design.

Brain Traffic’s approach to content strategy.

Kristina Halvorson runs the content agency Brain Traffic, which breaks down content strategy into components: substance (what the content says) and structure (how it is organized), and people components: workflow (how work gets done) and governance (how it is maintained long term). The work that goes into creating quality content is often underestimated. This approach examines the core strategy along with long-term goals for creating and managing content.

Brain Traffic also founded the conference Confab, which is an annual gathering of content strategists. You can check it out on Twitter, and look for talks online to get a deeper look at current issues and trends in the world of content strategy.

Clinton Forry uses another definition for content strategy that states: “Content strategy helps align an organization’s goals with audience expectations via sustainable online content. ” This definition goes beyond just considering user needs, to what they expect to happen throughout an experience.  Sustainable online content addresses the upkeep and maintenance required of quality content. (Ever visited a website’s event page and all the “upcoming events” happened six months ago? Whoever is managing that site didn’t consider the maintenance side of content.)

Venn diagram representing the intersections of content strategy by Clinton Forry.

UX writing

Content strategy focuses on the overall messaging, while UX writing focuses on the copy users encounter when interacting with a product. The true value of UX writing comes from considering the context of the user in a user-centered approach.

An example of confusing content on the web. In order to cancel the action, the user must click “OK,” not “cancel.” This message should be rewritten for clarity.

When examining the copy of this shipping confirmation, the difference between “arrived at destination” and “delivered” is confusing. It should be rewritten for clarity.

Consider the last time you made a purchase online. The text used to guide you through the experience helps give you confidence that you’re actually going to receive the product you’re buying. If the text on the site was off-putting, you’d probably think the site was a bit sketchy and want to take your business elsewhere. However, UX writing can help give the user confidence. This can occur when the user encounters copy that reveals what to expect on the next screen (information they may want to know, but isn’t always obvious), a confirmation screen that indicates a purchase is complete (which assures the user that their credit card worked), or a confirmation or thank you email (a simple gesture that shows the customer that the company cares about them).

Amazon.com puts users at ease through a small line of text telling them they’ll still have time to review the order. Simple text can do a lot to enhance the user experience.

UX writing is deeply integrated into the visual design elements. They work together to communicate what is happening, or what the user needs to do while interacting with the product.

The onboarding screens for the meditation app Headspace help manage expectations and work to help users build habits. The graphic elements such as a toothbrush compliment the text which says “After brushing your teeth.”

Content design

Content design is yet another sub-field which reminds you to focus on the user. It’s a term that first emerged in the UK, but can be found throughout the world now. The term became popular with Sarah Richard’s work spearheading (or one could say, overhauling) the government site GOV.UK.

Traditionally, government websites aren’t the most exciting place on the web. Governments have lots to say but don’t always tell the story in a way that appeals to or engages with the constituents it governs. GOV.UK turned how they talk to people upside down. After extensive user research, the content team considered what it’s target audience really wanted to know. Rather than focusing on expressing the government’s goals, it put user needs first. They have an entire section of their website devoted to answering “What is content design?“

Screenshot from GOV.UK provides an introduction to content design.