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Think in Hypertext
Feb 17Everyone is suffering from information overload! It’s time we leverage information technology to be quick, clear, and concise with our communication. People don’t read, they skim and rush through data. Not because they don’t care, but because there is just too much information to dig through.
People have come to expect media to be a two way street. They want to make their own path through content. Give them options and multiple forms. They will appreciate you for the experience.
When writing for digital media:
- Link to internal resources. This not only allows your users to look more closely at related information, but also keeps them on your site, looking at your content. This informs your users and reinforces their faith in your content, and ultimately your brand.
- Use external links. Provide your users with more information. Just because you are sending users to new content doesn’t mean that you aren’t gaining anything from the transaction. Once again, you are providing your users with what they need, and that does not go unnoticed.
- Take advantage of embeddable content. Content/service providers like youtube are making it very easy to include embeddable on you site. It’s as easy as cut and paste.
- Include images and illustrations. Graphics do a lot more than take up space. They guide the user and can be used as indicators for what content you are providing and how they can use it.
- Use bulleted and numbered lists. Lists give you the power to convey your primary points of interest in a matter of seconds.
FROM THE EDITOR: Furley is a Senior User Experience Specialist. One day we were talking about a way to do a demo for a client and he said, “You’re thinking in hypertext.” This is really great advice for communicators, who can get a bit linear from time to time.
About the Author
Furley
Furley creates products that make software users say, "Wow." With his degree in Digital Communications from Lebanon Valley, he knows both aspects of user experience (UX) and applies a refreshingly simple aesthetic to all of IFRACTAL’s software.
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i think this is also great advice for people who have a young workforce or a lot of digital natives. they/we have hypertext minds and that boils down to different learning styles and different ways of consuming info… thanks for including this.
You're absolutely right Jessica. When I wrote that I was listening to music, instant messaging a friend, and watching my roommate play video games. Like me, the youth of today are multitaskers by design. Communicating with them is tricky. It's important to think in nonlinear terms.