mind over matter

While document design main concern are readers, readers read on print and on screen differently. Hence, designing for print and online is different.

As Nielsen (1999) opined that newspaper designers have a huge canvas to play with, the entire two-page spread has greater impact provided with room for large amount of text integrated with the headlines and graphics to compliment the overall layout that allows reader's eye to move from overview to details in a split second.



In contrast, web page is a scrolling experience which readers navigate by scanning. As Nielsen (1997) stated, web pages have to employ 'scannable text', using:

• Highlighted keywords (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others)
• Meaningful sub-headings (avoid ambiguous title)
  
• Bulleted lists
• One idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph)
• Inverted pyramid style, starting from most important information to the least
  
• Half the word count (or less) than print

Nielsen (1999) also clarified, that:

• Print design is based on letting the eyes walk over the information, selectively looking at information objects and using spatial juxtaposition to make page elements enhance and explain each other.
• Web design functions by letting the hands move the information (by scrolling or clicking); information relationships are expressed temporally as part of an interaction and user movement.

References

• Nielsen, J 1999, Differences between print design and web design, viewed on 17 November 2009, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html
• Nielsen, J 1997, How users read on web, viewed on 17 November 2009, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html