Re: list dedicated to Web Site Editing

[Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- FS -dot- COM -dot- AU>]

Arlen said:
>       The Laura LeMay books I have say that people don't like to scroll, so
>       the best passage length is that which fits on a single screen.
>
> This is a piece of oft-repeated wisdom that I'd like to see tested and
> explained more fully.

I went to a Web usability seminar where the presenter put it this way:

- Joe Public is almost certainly operating at 640x480 on a 15" screen,
  with all the default toolbars and clutter enabled
- often Joe will scroll down one screen. Sometimes Joe won't scroll
  down even once. Rarely will Joe scroll down more than once.
- therefore, try to fit your content on to two of these default-sized
  screens if you want to be pretty sure that Joe will read it all.

Of course there are some exceptions to this rule:

- your audience isn't Joe Public. Quite possible for commercial sites,
  as JP is not a big spender.
- your audience wants to read more, as in the example of an interesting
  article or list of useful goodies

> Or am I just too weird to be a benchmark in this case?

Possibly. We haven't had one of those bogus list surveys for a while --
are you volunteering yourself as a subject?

Regards
---
Stuart Burnfield                "Still a man hears what he wants to hear
Functional Software Pty Ltd     And disregards the rest. . ."
mailto:slb -at- fs -dot- com -dot- au                    -- Simon & Garfunkel 'The Boxer"

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