Making Content More Accessible
Written on November 24, 2010 – 6:26 am | by Matthew Hovell
Have you noticed any changes lately in the layout of this blog? Take a moment to scan the screen and see whether anything looks different.
If you are a regular reader, you may notice subtle differences. I took the advice of my talented blogmaster, Kevin Segedi of Little Black Umbrella.
I asked Kevin to recommend ways to improve the accessibility of the information on my blog. Kevin suggested that I include in the top left corner the information that people might be looking for, such as my contact information, ”about” information, and ways to subscribe to the blog’s feed. Readers do not need to search the screen for that information; it is all grouped in one place at the top.
Kevin also made the brilliant suggestion to include the phrase “Search This Blog” in the search box, rather than beneath it. This placement of the phrase makes it clear that the Google search stays within Business Writing blog.
Another change is in the category headings, which now appear in a bigger font and with initial capital letters rather than all caps. People who study comprehension have learned that it is easier to read Writing Resources than WRITING RESOURCES, and Recent Posts than RECENT POSTS.
We made other small changes in a few lines here and there to make reading, scanning, and finding information easier.
Have you updated the appearance of your blog, brochure, reports, emails, or newsletters lately? You may want to ask someone to review them and make recommendations, as I did with Kevin.
Please share any insights on formatting and reader accessibility.
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