Is there any research to back up what this story says about content length? - Content Strategy

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Message from discussion Is there any research to back up what this story says about content length?
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Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:31:22 -0700
Message-ID: <CAFHo6kwoJ1ZSSJ8k2GTnGG1vZpQAN8kFUMMNXW+soXZk4x_...@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Is there any research to back up what this story says about
 content length?
From: Rahel Anne Bailie <rahel.bai...@gmail.com>
To: contentstrategy@googlegroups.com
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I'd say that this guideline oversimplifies. What we know from the usabilty
field is that  people "skim, skip, and scan" until they get to their
destination page, and then they zre willing to read quite a long page.
There are a few basic types of pages. One is wayfinding. The other is
substantive. Think of a consumer buying a laptop. They might end up on a
page about computers, and they scan for laptops. They click on the first
link they see that will take them to a laptop sectio. They find a link to
the tpe of laptop they want and click, and so on. Once they get to the page
about, say, specifications, then they will stay on the page to read about
the features they want.

So the first pages are minimal, just enough to get people to where they
want to go - in some recent testing, 250 words was "too much reading" -
and the destination page has the substance, which could easily be 500 wrds.
On Mar 26, 2012 12:42 AM, "Nathan Blows" <nathanbl...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I recently came across this piece about why companies get web design
> wrong:
> http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52903
>
> I was interested (and annoyed) by the assertion that "organisations create
> concise content that gets the message across in 500 characters (not words)
> for online and 250 characters for mobile Web sites."
>
> I've heard similar things before, like "page content should be around 400
> - 500 words."
>
> I am familiar with the aspects of cognition, attention and memory related
> to content, and agree that it's better to keep things shorter rather than
> bombarding users with a wall of text.
>
> However, I also do believe that you  need to provide the user with enough
> information to meet his or her needs, and sometimes that can't be done in
> 500 characters.
>
> Is there any research that supports the 500 character guideline? It seems
> fairly arbitrary to me.
>
> I've been looking about and can't really find anything.
>
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<p>I&#39;d say that this guideline oversimplifies. What we know from the us=
abilty field is that=A0 people &quot;skim, skip, and scan&quot; until they =
get to their destination page, and then they zre willing to read quite a lo=
ng page. There are a few basic types of pages. One is wayfinding. The other=
 is substantive. Think of a consumer buying a laptop. They might end up on =
a page about computers, and they scan for laptops. They click on the first =
link they see that will take them to a laptop sectio. They find a link to t=
he tpe of laptop they want and click, and so on. Once they get to the page =
about, say, specifications, then they will stay on the page to read about t=
he features they want. </p>

<p>So the first pages are minimal, just enough to get people to where they =
want to go - in some recent testing, 250 words was &quot;too much reading&q=
uot; -=A0 and the destination page has the substance, which could easily be=
 500 wrds.</p>

<div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Mar 26, 2012 12:42 AM, &quot;Nathan Blows&quo=
t; &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:nathanbl...@gmail.com">nathanbl...@gmail.com</a>&g=
t; wrote:<br type=3D"attribution"><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=
=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
I recently came across this piece about why companies get web design wrong:=
=A0
<a href=3D"http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=3Dcom_content&amp;view=
=3Darticle&amp;id=3D52903" target=3D"_blank">http://www.itweb.co.za/index.p=
hp?option=3Dcom_content&amp;view=3Darticle&amp;id=3D52903</a>
<div><br></div><div>I was interested (and annoyed) by the assertion that &q=
uot;organisations <span style=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size=
:12px;font-family:Arial,&#39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica">create concise co=
ntent that gets the message across in 500 characters (not words) for online=
 and 250 characters for mobile Web sites.&quot;</span></div>

<div><span style=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-fa=
mily:Arial,&#39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica"><br></span></div><div><span st=
yle=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,&#=
39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica">I&#39;ve heard similar things before, like =
&quot;page content should be around 400 - 500 words.&quot;</span></div>

<div><span style=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-fa=
mily:Arial,&#39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica"><br></span></div><div><span st=
yle=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,&#=
39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica">I am familiar with the aspects of cognition=
, attention and memory related to content, and agree that it&#39;s better t=
o keep things shorter rather than bombarding users with a wall of text.=A0<=
/span></div>

<div><span style=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-fa=
mily:Arial,&#39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica"><br></span></div><div><span st=
yle=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,&#=
39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica">However, I also do believe that you =A0need=
 to provide the user with enough information to meet his or her needs, and =
sometimes that can&#39;t be done in 500 characters.</span></div>

<div><span style=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-fa=
mily:Arial,&#39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica"><br></span></div><div><span st=
yle=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,&#=
39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica">Is there any research that supports the 500=
 character guideline? It seems fairly arbitrary to me.</span></div>

<div><span style=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-fa=
mily:Arial,&#39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica"><br></span></div><div><span st=
yle=3D"line-height:15px;text-align:left;font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,&#=
39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,Helvetica">I&#39;ve been looking about and can&#39;t r=
eally find anything.</span></div>


<p></p>

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</blockquote></div>

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