Saturday, February 27, 2010

The short attention span of web users

When designing for the web, it is extremely important to keep your audience in mind. However, just how much (or how little) do users read?

Dr. Jakob Nielsen conducted a research study to find the answer. Considered to be a top expert on web usability, Nielsen’s findings are rather easy to understand.

According to Nielsen (2008), "On the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely" (Summary section).

As a result, less truly is more.


Nielsen, J. (2008, May 6). How little do users read? Retrieved from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/percent-text-read.html

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