How to Handle Dumb Readers

People are dumb – an assumption you can safely make when referring to patrons of the internet. The vast majority need you to spell things out for them or they’ll rage out, or simply pass by completely oblivious. At the same time, instruction nearly has to be force-fed to some that fall into the “internet moron” category. As a web designer, I’m constantly faced with the task of figuring out how to best get the point across without sacrificing form and function.

Finding a Balance

The approach I prefer is to keep things simple, at least the initial state. Keep in mind that not everyone is a moron, and people will likely be re-visiting your website. Over-explaining things will serve as an annoyance for experienced or repeat visitors.

I recently had a discussion with a client about a “bookmark to Delicious” button on his website. His problem was that the caption only read “bookmark” and the icon may not be recognizable by some of his readers. Instead of “Bookmark”, he wanted the label to read “Delicious”. I failed to see how this would benefit those readers in question. If the icon isn’t identifiable to them, would the word “delicious” give them a better idea of what the action for this button is? Chances are, with “bookmark” being a verb, and the action of bookmarking websites being a basic functionality in every web browser, most readers would likely be able to make an accurate assumption of what will happen when they click the button.

So, here we have a balance. The Delicious icon is in place for experienced readers would are familiar with the service, while the word “bookmark” accompanies it for inexperienced readers. But there’s still the question of exactly what the button does. The blanks haven’t all been filled in for the novice, and at this point they’ll like just pass over it, hopefully with their cursor.

Filling in the Blanks

How the next step is handled is a personal preference, but a very important one. This is where you spell it out for the novice – telling them a bit more about the action the button performs. Something simple like a title attribute on the link that reads, “Bookmark this article on Delicious” would do it. At this point, they might not be 100% sure what’s going to happen, but thankfully Delicious has you covered with a fantastic landing page for new-comers.

Delicious does a great job of quickly explaining what their service is for first time visitors.

A Solid Alternative

UPS uses the overlay method to include descriptions for the delivery status.

You might not be so lucky as to be linking to a service like Delicious which does such a good job of handling new-comers. Or the action that’s being performed might be specific to the site itself. In this case, alternate steps will likely have to be taken to ensure readers aren’t left in the dark, and in some cases, there simply isn’t room for a description. A title attribute might be sufficient, but a great solution is to provide a help or “more info” button close to the action item. Clicking or hovering over it could open a styled overlay which supplies the additional information needed, or a small pop-up window is also pretty common.

Speak Up

It’s important that we web designers and developers step up and provide guidance when clients make suggestions that are less than optimal. Remember who hired who, and why. And unless your job title is “pixel pusher”, it’s in your job description provide the best possible experience for the readers. It might be easier to avoid confrontation and simply do as your client asks, but the end product will suffer for it. Speak up, provide a winning argument, and your client might even thank you for it. In the case where you’re stuck with someone who is set in their ways, it’s still better to speak up and express your concern than to stay silent and obey. If for no other reason, peace of mind.