Quiz Number 5

SWE 432, Fall 2009
October 8

  1. Which type of fonts, serif or sans-serif, does Nielsen recommend for web content. Why? Is this consistent with printed material?
    Answer
    Nielsen recommends sans-serif for web writing because it is faster to read. This is backwards from printed material, where serif is faster to read.
  2. Why does Nielsen recommends against ALL CAPS text in web writing?
    Answer
    Because it is slower (by 10%). And because it can seem annoying, childish, amateur, aggressive, or unprofessional. (Any answer is fine for credit.)
  3. What does Nielsen say the difference is between how users read on the web vs. how users read in a linear medium such as a book.
    Answer
    Web users adopt information seeking strategies such as scanning to save time in finding their goal information. Linear readers are simply accessing the information as designed by the author. (Any variation of this is fine for credit.)
  4. In terms of reading-level (as a grade level) what is Nielsen's guideline for writing for a general audience? Does the advice differ between home pages and interior pages?
    Answer
    Nielsen's guideline is 6th grade for home pages, and slightly higher, namely 8th grade, for interior pages. So, yes, the advice differs by page type. (For credit, the answer needs to be close in terms of grade level. The difference between interior and home pages needs to be clear.)
  5. According to Nielsen, the word count for web writing vs. conventianal writing should be
    • About the same.
    • Web should be about half of conventional.
    • Web should be about ten percent of conventional.
    • Web should be about twice the conventional.

    Answer
    Web should be about half of conventional. (Full credit for the correct answer; The 10% answer gets half credit, because it is at least in the right direction.)