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should read Jakob Nielsen's articles on writing for the web, at<br />
http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/. Although many of them explain<br />
the results from research that was done quite a few years ago now, they<br />
remain as relevant today as they were when they were written. Spend an<br />
hour or two making notes, and watch your writing improve.<br />
A Question of Scroll Bars.<br />
Does your website have scroll bars? It might not seem like an especially<br />
important question, but it is. In fact, when it comes to website usability, the<br />
question of scrolling is one of the most vital ones out there.<br />
Do Users Like to Scroll?<br />
One of those eternal questions of web design is whether users are fine with<br />
scrolling, or whether they hate it. In reality, the answer lies somewhere<br />
between the two: plenty of users don't mind scrolling in the least, but there<br />
are plenty of users who still just don't scroll. The very young (with low<br />
attention spans) and the very old (with poor hand-eye co-ordination) are the<br />
two biggest groups in this category, but it is also true of people who are just<br />
new to the web. You should be designing your site so that scrolling gives<br />
added value, but isn't essential for basic usability.<br />
The Mouse Wheel Revolution.<br />
Since the beginnings of the web, people have become much more receptive<br />
to scrollable pages, thanks to mouse wheels and similar devices. These let<br />
them scroll with a quick flick, instead of the inconvenience it used to take. As<br />
a result, your visitors will be much more willing to scroll on your website<br />
than they used to be, and this works to your advantage. Still, you shouldn't<br />
rely on it completely.<br />
Don't Eliminate it Entirely – But Pay Attention.<br />
The answer, then, when it comes to scrolling, is to be sensitive about it. Place<br />
everything important in a position that allows it to be reached with no<br />
scrolling even on the smallest monitors. Give your users the choice of<br />
whether to scroll or click, by linking to the individual parts of the article at<br />
the top of the page in a table of contents. In short, let the scrollers scroll, but<br />
The Web Design Guide for Newbies |113
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