Writing for the Web

• Be succinct. A must read is Strunk and White: The Elements of Style. Use plain language.
• Use short paragraphs, subheadings, and bulleted lists
• Use hypertext to split up long information into multiple pages
• Check for errors
• Use meaningful headings
• Use highlighting for emphasis or to draw attention. Use color with caution.

Page Titles

• Each page must have a separate title that is powerful and meaningful.
• The title should clearly explain the content of the page.
• Avoid teasers, puns, cute or clever headlines
• Skip leading a, an, the. Make the first word count.
• Do not start each page with the same word.

Legibility

• Use colors with high contrast between text and background.
• Use plain background. Even a watermark can apppear distracting.
• Use big enough fonts. Use sans-serif for small fonts and headers. Sans serif fonts are - Arial, Verdana. Serif fonts are - Times New Roman, Georgia.
• Make the text stand still.

Online Documentation

• Users go to documentation only when they have to.
• Documentation must have lots of examples
• Instructions must task oriented.
• Give overview of how the system works.
• Provide glossary.
• Be brief

Multimedia

• Response time is long for download.
• Minimize graphics
• Create thumbnail pictures that the user can click to get more details

Animation

• Showing Continuity in Transition
• Indicating Dimensionality in Transitions
• Illustrating Change over Time
• Multiplexing the Display
• Enriching Graphical Representations
• Visualizing 3-D Structures
• Attracting Attention

Video

• Use as supplement to text and images rather than as main content
• Provide downloadable video file
• Break video presentation into segments with textual descriptions
• Provide slide show presentation - stills from the video

Audio

• Music is good for setting the mood
• People sound better than they look
• Good quality sound enhances the user experience
• Leave the choice to play the sound to the user
• Provide description of the sound file

Enabling Users with Disabilities

• Provide textual description of images, sound, and video.

3-D Graphics

• 2-D graphics is better than 3-D
• 3-D graphics confusing
• Use 3-D graphics when one needs to visualize a solid form

Summing Up