Web Readers Don't Like Clever Words

July 17, 2003 | 3 Comments

Yesterday I had the great fortune to spend some time with Gerry McGovern. If he is ever in your area I highly recommend checking him out. Better yet, go and drag your clients, content authors and stake holders along with you.

He had quite a few interesting ideas on the topic of Web content and one particular idea stuck with me.

Gerry refers to what most of use generally call “users” as “readers”. Now, one of my big pet peeves about many Web communities are the never ending, absolutely pointless discussions over semantics. Call, them “users” or “readers” or whatever you like, the idea is that the main function of interacting with the Web involves reading.

This is true if you are talking about Web services, interactive media or informational Web sites. It’s words that drive actions, it’s words that get ideas across and based on that the utmost importance should be placed upon the words that are read on a site.

All too often, on the Web, we try to get clever with our words. Look around, check out some titles, headlines, navigation, hell, pretty much everything. I’ve noticed that more often than not, some, if not most, of this stuff isn’t straightforward. Most often it’s too clever or down right obtuse. It seems like many sites are trying their best to confuse us? Why is that? Is it ego? Is it ignorance?

I don’t know the answer. What I do know is that there is a whole lot of work to be done with the words on the Web. This isn’t just content, it’s everything. People don’t want to spend time trying to figure things out on the Web, they don’t want to guess at metaphors or decipher marketing lingo. They want to act, find, learn and check something off a list so they can get back to real life.

An additional problem with words that aren’t clear and easy - the sure and steady internationalization of the Web. You can be sure that if a natural English speaking person has trouble of with it, someone who doesn’t speak English naturally is going to have all sorts of problems.

As with everything, there are exceptions, but in general, clever doesn’t work on the Web.

Filed under: IA and Usability

Comments

1. Alistair Knock said:

Can’t really say I agree. The propositional intent which derives itself from the subsection of the article of meaning is in fact an attack inflicted on the relative complexities of the English language and associated expansion via the electronic medium, and an attempt to devalue the significant attributes of both syntax and semantic that have evolved throughout the history of language as a result of need rather than desire; there is no apparent need to ‘dumb down’ the internet audience or their presenters, rather the inverse, to return to the beginnings of the electronic age and realise this tool as an educational necessity in every conceivable respect.

Posted on September 4, 2003 01:33 AM | #