Shorter webpages nearly 60% more usable
When usability guru Jakob Nielsen wanted to measure the effects of short web copy, he studied a webpage about Nebraska.
One of the original passages said:
Then Nielsen rewrote the webpage, taking out half of the words. The rewrite:
Short webpage: 58% more usable.
Then Nielsen tested both pages for metrics including:
- Task time: the number of seconds it took users to find answers to questions like “On what date did Nebraska become a state?”
- Errors, or a percentage score based on the number of questions readers answered incorrectly
- Memory — a recall test asking such questions as “Please list any names of tourist attractions you remember from the site.”
- Subjective satisfaction, or how participants felt about the site’s quality, ease of use and likeability. This was measured by questions like “How frustrated did you feel while working on this site?”
The result: The shorter rewrite was 58% more usable.
Nearly half again more usable just by cutting out half the words? That’s a pretty good ROI on concise copy!
The 124% solution
Finally, Nielsen made the Nebraska webpage more:
- Concise
- Scannable
- Objective
Here’s his rewrite:
- Fort Robinson State Park
- Scotts Bluff National Monument
- Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
- Carhenge
- Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
- Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
With just these three tweaks, he more than doubled usability, to 124%.
How do you make your webpages shorter?
“High-quality short copy will outperform poorly written long copy every time.”
— Michel Fortin, chief experience office, Supportibles, Inc.
Want to increase the usability of your webpages on mobile devices? Learn how at our Write for Mobile Master Class on June 12-13 in Chicago. You’ll learn how to make long webpages easier to read on a smartphone with three quick tips.
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