I read with interest an article on The Age website regarding online readership surging while print editions are moving marginally up or down. The channels for proliferation of news have changed. Once the newspaper was the dominant source now there is radio, TV and more recently the internet.
It is important for news organizations to have a number of contact points in order to engage audiences. The older generation may tend to lean towards print news and specific TV news while the younger generation may in fact rely on websites for their news.
When presenting news on websites, it is important to consider online design principles and after reading the article Readers need print despite migration online, I considered the importance of following design principles to produce an effective news website.
Design principles guide readers through a text, increase interest, highlight areas of importance and provide an easy reading experience. Reep (2006) highlights principles including balance, proportion, sequence and consistency. These principles are important for web page design also as they create the overall ‘look’ of the website.
After reading this article I looked at the News.com website (www.news.com.au). I found that it followed the design principles. Consistency was achieved through the use of consistent typefaces and margins, the page is balanced with differently ‘weighted’ areas which draw your eye to the heavier weighted areas first, the page and elements within it are in proportion and the a logical reading sequence is maintained through the design to guide the reader through the page. Colour, images and contrast is also used well and overall it is a positive reading experience.
Given that the article says “Readers are developing an online habit at a galloping rate”, I think that web designers need to pay significant attention to the design principles when designing their news web pages.
http://business.theage.com.au/readers-need-print-despite-migration-online-20080515-2erp.html
http://www.news.com.au
Reep DC 2006, ‘Document design’, Technical writing: principles, strategies and readings, 6th edn, Pearson & Lonman, New York, Chapter 6, pp. 133-172
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