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Layer the Details

Less is More

Chunking the Content

Writing Guidelines

Design Hints

[Web Advisory Group]

Writing for the Web:
Guidelines for MIT Libraries

Design Hints

1. Horizontal lines may stop readers from scrolling.
2. Vertical lines may indicate there's more to see.
3. Headings should be close to the text they cover.
4. Text in all caps takes up extra space and slows reading.
5. Centered text is harder to read than left-aligned text.
6. Serif and sans-serif type both seem to work, but don't set the type too small.
7. We typically scan tables down the columns.
8. Use high contrast between background color and type. Best contrast is black type on white background. If you want a colored background, keep it light.

Most of the content of this site is drawn from a workshop given by Janice (Ginny) Redish, Ph.D. at User Interface 2000 in November 1999.
http://www2.ari.net/redish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  hennig@mit.edu