How did I design my blog for YOU as a reader?

Nielsen, Jakob
How users read on the web
The difference between paper and online presentation

Print and Online
Web allows splitting of multiple hyperlinked pages, while print documents forms a whole entire set of information. Multiple pages allow readers to click easily on the direct information that he/she needs.

Print allows more word count than web, as readers find it difficult to read too much text on screens. That’s where scannability comes into place.

Designed for scanning
According to Nielsen Jakob (1997), people rarely read web pages word by word, but rather, scan through. Following the principles mentioned in his article, I highlighted useful links in my blog, used sub-headings for easy scanning, bolded important points and structured my text into short sentences.

Links placed at the beginning of each post
I have chosen to place my web links at the beginning of my article instead of placing them at the end. This is to make them more prominent for readers to click. In additional, I have also hyperlinked images to the source, to provide a convenient method for readers to access the source.

Know what to expect in each links
According to Schriver (1997, p396), showing just links without much information would take a long time for readers to go through all. Readers would like to see more information on what to expect. Hence, I added images and explanation to my links to provide a glimpse of what to expect, and to make my blog as rich as possible. For example, I wrote a short description on what to expect in the blogs that I’ve recommended.

Consistent visual rhythm
Schriver (1997, p404) also mentioned that web designers should maintain consistency in setting up a visual rhythm for the reader’s eye. Following that, I’ve consistently placed all images in the centre column, to avoid readers having to look on the left and right and everywhere else on the screen for images. Moreover, consistent colors and fonts are used throughout my postings.

White Space
According to Reep (2006), white space is the term for areas on a page that have no text or graphics, which may not always be white, but it can be solid black, textured pattern and etc. It helps readers process the texts efficiently, and rests readers’ eyes and directs them to important information. I designed my blog in a way where it is not overloaded with moving texts, boxes and etc. My white space creates a path that will guide the readers from the header to text and images.