Page Link: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/prosecutor-madoff-case-forced-conflict/story?id=8792144
Website: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter
It is also fairly easy to scan, though there is room for improvement. Links are highlighted with names of the main people in the article so the reader can get a feel for what is covered in the article. A quote is even set to the side, in it’s own paragraph, drawing the reader’s attention to it. I think bullet points or bold/italicized words could make the article even easier for the reader to scan.
Chunking is used effectively on the page. The story is delivered in two “chunks.” The chunks are separated by a picture bar. By delivering the information this way, readers are less overwhelmed by the information. If the reader stops reading after the first “chunk” they have still taken away the basis of the story. The second “chunk” goes into more detail and is provided for those still interested and wanting to get the entire picture.
The headline does its job very well. It tells the reader exactly what they can expect from the article and doesn’t play with words to create something meaningless. There is also a subheading, which helps the reader get even more information about the article, without having to start reading it. These helpful headlines add to the page’s ability to be scanned. I did notice the headline and sub-headline was written in title-style though, which bothered me.
The page was also well edited. I didn’t notice any minor or major errors in the copy and I think this is very important, especially for a site that wants to gain credibility in the news industry.
Because it is written as a news story, the inverted pyramid style is utilized well. The most important facts are at the top, while the facts of lesser importance are toward the bottom. This way, when the reader stops reading halfway through the article, they will have gotten the most important information out of the article.
The page titles are helpful because they specifically say what each page is about. This way, when you search for a story it will pop up with just the page that has the story on it. Naming pages based on their content and not just after the site’s name helps readers find that page in search engines. It titles exactly what is on the page, with no guessing for the reader.
The plain style of the page makes it very legible. The black text and blue links on a white background makes the page easy to read. Advertisements and pictures are boxed off with enough white space to make it obvious they aren’t part of the article.
The page still has awful screen real estate. It doesn’t make good use of its space. There is basically no content on the first frame, on my 13 in. computer screen. Real content doesn’t start until the second frame and lasts until the third frame.
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