We have spoken several times of important things that we have to take into account when using fonts to design a website. We know that we have to prioritise them to give the necessary importance to each of sections, choosing the most appropriate for each location and above all, printing readability.
When designing a website, usually we start from the images and message. Both will be responsible for defining the space and shape and of course to achieve the goal of the web. But a picture is worth a thousand words and so, although it can be hard to accept, sometimes by laziness we do not stop to read a whole text and we read between the lines (I hope you are not doing it right now,) so we have to give more importance to images or messages that are transmitted.
Normally if we are reading an article from a blog, it is not so obvious, because we know where we are, and if we have taken the initiative to read it is because we were interested. However when accessing a web for the first time, it is very common to skim to stay only with things that call our attention.
We come to that which draws our attention and we focus on that, and therefore we must design knowing that we have to make the most of the message and transmit on a visual way what we want. It is normal to enter a section of the web, for example on services and if the services come described in a paragraph of 200 words without highlighting in bold, I assure you that at least 60% of your users (and I think I’m positive ) will not finish reading it.
I love reading; it is one of my passions. When I find a book I like it is hard to me to stop, but I assure you that when I enter a website that I just discovered, I do not spend more time required to read it. Time is money, and you have to know how to convey your message.
We return with a maxim that surely will sound familiar: “Less is more.” If we can express the same thing with fewer words we have guaranteed success, and remember, if you do not know explain it in a nutshell, it is that possibly you do not understand well.
So today we will share some tips that can be applied to the design of your website, so that your words are transmitting the message and not the reverse. To start, you just have to do something that normally is not easy to do, but when achieved is satisfactory: you have to summarise!
1. Summarise and trim
As we were saying, the most important thing when you are sending a message, in this case of our website, is that the message is as concrete as possible; obviously without missing details that are primary and without which we would not understand the bulk of the message .
This may seem easy, but it is one of the most difficult tasks, as always we are afraid that the message can be empty and the communication partner is halfway. However, when we got it, we know that the user will be with us and will not be gone dull.
One trick for those places where even concretizing it is interesting that the user can expand the information is to add a button “more information,” “read more…” If you do not click you will have anyway all the information you should know, and if you click to get more information and read more, it will be on your own initiative.
2. Rank your fonts
This theme is expanded in this article, but to summarise we will say that you have to use different weights and sizes of fonts, introducing titles (summary paragraph that will below) at all locations where possible.
If we have a title that anticipates what will be read, we get the users to set their attention on those places that are interested in reading. Not all phrases mean the same, they are not equally important, so we cannot show them in the same way, and titles are the first step to democratise.
3. Measure your paragraphs and make lists whenever possible
Paragraphs are fine when we read an article or a novel, but we get tired when we surf. We need to know the main ideas and the best tool for this are the lists. Within a paragraph we can extract those ideas and turn them into points that will be the most important. In this way we can read quickly and effectively the most significant things.
However, it is understood that we cannot always make lists. So when we talk about paragraphs, as we advanced on the issue of readability, we have to give a proper length to them. They cannot be too long and cannot have more words than due. If you see that there are too many words, pass them to another paragraph.
Long paragraphs are more difficult to read.
4. Prioritise your words
We have already concretised and understood that we have to have titles that help us read. However, and this is very close to the user experience, we have to show the priority message with the most important things facilitating global reading.
Inside the message, highlight with different thickness or size adding an image to facilitate the understanding and UX for all types of users, and distribute the message properly.
Discover the best way to convey your message, for users to understand and remain engraved in their visual memory. Use the space as if it was a canvas and draw with the words the exact message you want to convey.
Conclusion
I want to think it is not that we are lazier when reading, but we have to prioritise our time reading to invest in what we find exciting, either a mystery novel or an article about web fonts.
Therefore, when designing a web, we have to take into account the impact that words have on the user, making it easy the comprehension and reading. Thus, we will all benefit; visitors can easily understand the message, giving the option to deepen. And you will get the visitor stay on the web longer, becoming a user.
Very informative and easy to understand, thanks for the share.
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