Rewriting for Low Literacy Users
Even before entering the world of internet use, I have always been a supporter of usability and ease in reading. According to the Nielsen article, 48% of Americans are "low literacy", mening they have trouble reading and comprehending texts. This is why newspapers such as USA Today and the New York Post do so well, as they cater to those who prefer simple, concise and basic text to deliver a message. The same applies to websites. It can be extremely tedious to pour over a website that is simply a mass of small black text. Not only did rewriting for a 6th-8th grade reading level show higher satisfaction levels among users, but it would also invite a larger population to view a site that they would otherwise simply pass right over.
What I would like to add is that the New York Times and Wall Street Journal would do well to take Niesen's advice. This does not mean they need to lower their quality of reporting or their quality of writing. The one thing it does mean: The world "zeitgeist" should never appear in a headline.
What I would like to add is that the New York Times and Wall Street Journal would do well to take Niesen's advice. This does not mean they need to lower their quality of reporting or their quality of writing. The one thing it does mean: The world "zeitgeist" should never appear in a headline.
1 Comments:
Do you think that the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times INTENTIONALLY cater to people with higher education levels and higher literacy rates? I bet so. They know who their targeted audience is, and because of their reputations, can continue to demarcate themselves from the competition by only writing in a style that low literacy individuals cannot understand.
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