To determine the extent to which the text on this site achieves the scannability needed for effective online presentation.
Scannability opens up the text, allowing people to see how it is organized, and encouraging them to jump in at the spot they find most interesting.
To achieve scannability, though, a writer must adopt several different strategies, and within those broad approaches, a number of tactics. Making an article scannable takes more effort than just writing the article. The strategies are:
Strategy 1. The Titles Signal the Content, Fast.
Strategy 2. Headings provide meaningful information about the way you have organized the material.
Strategy 3. Important text stands out.
Strategy 4. Sets of items appear in bulleted or numbered lists.
The strategies and tactics for scannability appear here as a set of guidelines based on research and actual experience, documented in books, journal articles, and online styleguides. (References appear at the end of each strategy). Each guideline, then, provides a method for a writer to follow, or a heuristic.
In this evaluation we test the text against these guidelines. This, then, is a heuristic evaluation.
Here’s how to perform a Heuristic Online Text (HOT) evaluation.
1. Save this file with a name that includes
q The site you are analyzing
q The aspect you are evaluating (brevity, in this case)
q Initials
q A period
q A suffix indicating the file type (doc for Word files, htm for HTML files)
Examples: ibmbrevityjp.doc,
yahoobrevityds.htm
2. Go to the site, and locate a fairly typical page
that has several paragraphs of running text.
Running text is actual content, not labels, menu items, or link descriptions.
3. In this file, type the title of the page, under
Sample #1, below.
The title appears in the title bar of the window (not including ads for your browser).
4. Copy the text on the page, including all
headings, and paste it into this file after the subject.
5. Return to the page and copy the URL for that
page, then paste that into this file, in the line right after the paragraph.
The URL is the address of the page.
6. Type today’s date on the next line, to show when
you collected the sample.
7. Repeat this process, collecting titles and
content from at least 5 pages.
If possible, find pages with different kinds of content.
Tip: You may want to print out your samples, so you can look at their text on paper as you work onscreen.
8. Apply the HOT Evaluation to the text samples you
have collected, filling out the evaluation form.
If a strategy or tactic seems irrelevant, omit it from your evaluation. Note that this will change the total possible points.
Subject:
Paragraph:
URL to the page:
Date investigated:
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Test
In each sample title, the distinguishing information
appears before any repeated information, such as the company name, or
department name.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did the titles start off with the text that
indicates the most important topics on this page?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which title seemed slow to give up critical
information (if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In looking at these titles in a search results list,
or a menu, I could tell what they are talking about.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did the titles stand on their own, describing
the content of their pages, even if you did not know what section of the site
these pages appear in?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which title seemed least informative (if any)? (Sample
# ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In each sample title, the first few words are unique.
They do not appear in any other titles.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did the titles start off with the text that
distinguishes this page from others?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which title seemed similar to others, or the same (if
any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In each sample page, the highest-level heading uses
the same terms as the title, or repeats the title.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did the titles seem to match the major
headings?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which title seemed at odds with the major heading (if
any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those observations
here.
Test
In each sample title, the repeated identification (of
company, department, section) appears after the information that is unique to
this page, so users can spot the differences between pages in search results
and menus.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
When looking at the first 40-60 characters, I always
saw information that described this particular page before I saw any repeated
identification.
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which title put corporate identity before page content
(if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In each title in the group, the grammatical form, and
phrasing, is the same, or very similar.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did the sample titles show parallelism of
structure and phrasing, when the pages were similar?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which title seemed out of step (if any)? (Sample
# ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
Each sample title describes the major topic of the
page accurately.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did the titles describe their pages in a way
that made sense before you read the pages—and afterward?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which title seemed at odds with the content of the
page (if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
See: Ameritech (1997), Berners-Lee (1995), Bricklin (1998), Dumas (1988), Frisse (1987), Levine (1997), Lynch & Horton (1997), Nielsen (1996, 1999f, 2000b), Rosenfeld & Morville (1998), Uncle Netword (1999b), Spyridakis (2000), Waite (1982), Wallace (1985) in the bibliography at
http://www.webwritingthatworks.com/HTres2cbiblio.pdf.pdf
Test
In each sample page, a heading of some kind appears
whenever the subject matter changes.
Headings, then, act as advance organizers, tipping the user off to the
transition, and the next topic.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did headings introduce each important change
of topic?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which page had a number of changes of topic without
any headings alerting the user to those transitions (if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In each sample page, if there are subtopics, they are
introduced by subordinate headings.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did lower level headings appear in front of
topics that relate to the previous paragraphs, but stand out, as distinct
subtopics?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which page had subtopics without subheads (if any)?
(Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In each sample page, there are no more than three
levels of heading within the main content.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did your eye perceive the difference between
levels of heading easily?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which page had more than three levels of headings (if
any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
Each heading expresses the content of the section that
follows. The headings are not puns, jokes, metaphorical excursions, or phrases
that make you guess what the authors meant.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did headings accurately and concisely sum up
the content of the following sections?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which heading seemed least meaningful?.
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In each sample page, the whole set of headings, taken
as a sequence, expresses the basic content of the page. A user, looking only at
the headings, gets an outline of the content.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did headings signal the structure of each
page, showing what the page is about, and how the page is organized?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which page had headings that did not, as a group,
offer an outline of the page (if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In each sample page, the headings indicate the way the
page has been organized, and, if that follows a familiar pattern, the headings
are phrased in a way that reminds the user of that schema.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did the headings remind the user of some
familiar pattern of organization, such as chronological order, familiar to
unfamiliar, important to unimportant, cause and effect, problem and
solution?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which page had headings that gave the least indication
of a familiar pattern (if any)? (Sample #
).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
See: Ameritech (1997), Bricklin (1998), Hartley and Trueman (1983), IBM Ease of Use (1999), Kaiser (2000), Lorch & Lorch (1985, 1995), Lynch (2000), Lynch & Horton (1997), Killian (1999), Mayer, Dyck & Cook (1984), Morkes & Nielsen (1997), Nielsen (1997a, 1997b, 1998b, 1999d, 1999f, 2000b), Spyridakis (2000), Sun (2000), Van Dijk & Kintsch (1983), Williams (2000) in the bibliography at
http://www.webwritingthatworks.com/HTres2cbiblio.pdf.pdf
Test
In most paragraphs, at least one critical word or
phrase has been boldfaced, or otherwise highlighted. (A link counts as an
emphasized phrase).
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did paragraphs include some text that stood
out because of its formatting?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which page had paragraphs with little or no emphasis
(if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In a paragraph containing one or more links, the linktext
says something meaningful about the topic, and therefore helps the user figure
out what the paragraph is about, as a whole.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did links speak meaningfully to the topic of
the paragraph?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which links seemed least illuminating? (As emphasized
text, they did not do their job of articulating the content of the paragraph).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In most paragraphs, the emphasized words, phrases, or
links stand out, because they are not surrounded with a lot of other emphasized
text.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did paragraphs seem relatively calm, even
when they included emphasized text?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which paragraph had the most emphasize items? How many?
(Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
In most pages, the emphasized text could be used as a
digest of the major points, or topics.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did pages light up with significant words and
phrases, tipping you off to the point of the page, and, possibly, its
organization?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which page was poorly described by the emphasized
text (if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
See: America Online (2001), Lynch (2001), Morkes & Nielsen (1997, 1998), Nielsen (1997a, 1997b)in the bibliography at
http://www.webwritingthatworks.com/HTres2cbiblio.pdf.pdf
Test
Whenever there are three or more items in a row, they
are broken out in a list, so people can scan through the material quickly.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did most sets of items appear in lists?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which paragraph had a long set of items without
breaking them out as a list (if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
When paragraphs include lists, the lists always appear
at the end of the paragraphs.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did most lists appear at the end of the
paragraph?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which paragraph had a list in the middle of the
paragraph (if any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
Whenever there are items that must be read or done in
order, the list items begin with numbers.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did most sequential lists have numbering,
rather than bullets?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which sequential list appears with bullets (if any)?
(Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
Whenever there are optional items in a list, they
begin with bullets.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did most lists of options appear with
bullets?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which non-sequential list lacks bullets (if any)?
(Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
When a set of items are similar, they begin with the
same kind of phrase, or use the same grammatical form, to help people compare
one with another.
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, did most lists seem consistently
phrased?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which list seemed to be the most inconsistent (if
any)? (Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
When each list item has two parts (a term and
definition, a link and a description, say), the two parts are separated by
punctuation such as a dash, a colon, or a paragraph return, or by other
formatting..
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
Overall, when list items contained two elements, I
could quickly distinguish one from the other.
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which paragraph had items with two parts, but failed
to distinguish them (if any)? (Sample #
).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
Test
Whenever a list extends beyond nine or ten items, the
items are grouped by object, topic, or action, and if the list is particularly
long, those groupings are indicated by headings. (Not necessary if the list must
be arranged in alphabetical or numeric order).
YES=1, NO=0.
Impression
If there was a long list, was it broken up into
sections?
YES=1, NO=0.
Example
Which long list went on and on, without any
sectioning, even though the organization was not alphabetical or numeric?
(Sample # ).
Comments
If this guideline does not seem to apply, indicate
that here.
If you have further thoughts, or reflections, about
the way the text follows, or ignores, this guideline, please put those
observations here.
See: Bricklin (1998), Brusaw, et al (1997), Hackos & Stevens (1996), IBM (1999), Kaiser (2000), Killian (1999), Lohse & Spiller (1998), Morkes & Nielsen (1997, 1998), Nielsen (1997a, 1997b), Price & Korman (1993), Tarutz (1992) in the bibliography at
http://www.webwritingthatworks.com/HTres2cbiblio.pdf.pdf
Assigning a grade to text is always a bit arbitrary. But counting up the points for these sample texts, we reach this diagnosis:
Total Points:
Total Possible:
Percentage:
90-100%: Excellent scannability.
75-89%: Pretty scannable, but occasionally dense.
60-74%: Could use some opening up.
45-59%: Dense.
25-44%: A jungle of text.
0-24: Impenetrable.
In a few paragraphs, summarize your most important observations—both
positive and negative.
List the top three problems with the text, and in a sentence or two,
summarize what you would recommend as solutions.