When’s the last time you read your site or web app aloud? Not just the big text blocks and the about page, but the headlines, field labels, buttons, error messages, and confirmation emails?
You’re reading Signal v. Noise, a publication about the web by Basecamp since 1999. Happy !
When’s the last time you read your site or web app aloud? Not just the big text blocks and the about page, but the headlines, field labels, buttons, error messages, and confirmation emails?
Frankie Laguna
on 30 Oct 09My site made my laugh, and then cry.
Michael
on 30 Oct 09Everyone should do this. I got a letter from my ISP, I kid you not, an entire page of 10 point text, and it was all fluff about providing excellent service. The point of the letter was the one sentence at the bottom. “We are adding a $3.90 to your monthly bill.”
I’d have been appreciative if they respected my time enough to cut it down to two or three sentences.
Jake Behrens
on 30 Oct 09Not enough people do it. I’m even guilty of it. My rule is to read it…if it sounds silly to you, it sounds worse to others.
Steve Wright
on 30 Oct 09Great advice for any writing, from marketing materials to personal emails written in a huff. Even better, read it to someone else. Someone you respect, someone you work or live with.
Jamie, Baymard Institute
on 30 Oct 09Approx. 3 weeks ago.. you, Mr. Fried?
gvb
on 30 Oct 09Read it visually as well
...on a small screen (netbook).
...on a tiny screen (phone).
...with javascript disabled.
...with flash blocked.
Cobbler's Child
on 30 Oct 09I had a similar experience as @Frankie. Except I leap-frogged laughter and tears and went to nausea. Only eight weeks until the refresh launches.
Heiko Behrens
on 30 Oct 09Since I am running a Blog with minimalistic (=no) design, I read it aloud each time a post as I do it with anything I am writing.
But: One should generally distinguish betweet texts that will be read (prosa) and those that will be scanned (facts). It’s acceptable if your technical text avoids synonyms and uses plain language instead.
Elixon
on 30 Oct 09Never. Laziness replaces the aloud reading for me. :-)
Before I create any user interface I think twice if I can skip the UI part completely and let the system do it automatically without any interaction which usually results in less code (less work for me)... and clients love it! :-)
Blue Sail Creative
on 30 Oct 09I find reading anything outloud generally helps. Your eyes trick you sometimes into getting lazy, but when you hear something that sounds funky its a lot easier to catch errors.
I have my computer read it back to me sometimes also, makes life easier.
Paul
on 31 Oct 09Souch a simple idea, I’m kicking myself for not doing it earlier.
I do much the same thing when writing prose, such as an essay or article. However I normally let the computer read it aloud for me, it doesn’t “auto-correct” things like double words or clumsy sentance structure the way my brain insists on.
I’ve just done this to my current project (Graphomatic), and while it’s not atrocious, some of the stuff on the front page sounds much clunkier than it did in my head :)
Well, that’s given me something else to work on tomorrow.
You guys are great, pointing out the simple stuff that can make quite a difference when done right.
deb
on 31 Oct 09Wow never even thought of that. Just did. Seems ok.
Wasserbetten
on 31 Oct 09Great idea, i never real my page aloud to myself, so i give it a try in the future!
Manuel Martensen
on 31 Oct 09Seriously, I thought everybody does that.
And because English is not my mother tongue I read my stuff even more than just once. Usually just save a post as a draft and then I’ll read it later — after a short break for some “perspective”.
Terrance Charles
on 01 Nov 09This is a MUST do regardless wether your a newbie or advanced marketer. Things change quickly in I.M. you may find that your headline on your blog for the past 2 years is not your message anymore, or you want to present a new you and brand that applies to now, so you definitely want to pay attention to everything, old reports you created with old website links that may no longer work, it’s jsut revamping and cleaning your business, it saves and makes you more money anyways ;)
TelecomSI
on 01 Nov 09I’ve never heard of such thing as reading aloud your web app. I guess I should do it!
Goran Aničić
on 01 Nov 09Almost every day
Jack Conway
on 01 Nov 09Great idea, I will be trying it on Checkdrugs.com .
I always liked George Orwells rules for writing:
1: Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5: Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than saying anything outright barbarous.
Daniel Smith
on 03 Nov 09It’s a good idea to use a screen reader too since they catch all kinds of things that we would normally gloss over. They catch odd-sounding phrases, spelling mistaks (!), and all sorts of things. It will let you know how your site appears to the visually impaired for accessibility too.
Many writers even do this as part of their writing process to catch errors and generally improve their writing.
brett tilford
on 03 Nov 09Genius idea. It’s amazing how different something can sound in your head vs. actually said aloud.
Matt Brown
on 03 Nov 09Off the subject… but… Jason, I really enjoyed reading your latest interview/article in INC Magazine. Good stuff….
David S
on 04 Nov 09Always read everything you write out loud.
You find missed words, strange clauses, incomplete thoughts, and a whole lot more.
Mostly, though, I find doing this helps me to produce material that is actually more readable—helps to sift out the fluff from actual information, so you can pare down your text to what is truly important.
This discussion is closed.