Are you sure you're communicating?

We all "know" that readers read differently off-screen to print. After all, the research backs it up. But Steve Nichols of InfoTech Communications (www.infotechcomms.co.uk) asks that given the research we all quote is now way out of date how do we really know if our on-screen communications are doing the job?

I have been running writing for the web and intranet courses for a number of years. At every seminar we talk about how people read differently off-screen compared with the printed word. And at every seminar delegates nod in agreement as I talk about the fact that only "16 per-cent" of people read word-for-word, and that users are three times more likely to read a brief summary than the full article.

But recently I have become concerned about using these figures.

The truth is that we are quoting research that is, in technology terms, way out of date.

The "16 per-cent" figure came from Jakob Neilsen and John Morke's research back in 1997. Back then, the internet was a novelty, screen resolutions were poor and the whole user experience was hampered by slow, cranky net connections.

In 2003 we generally have bigger screens, better browsers and have adapted to getting our information on-line. So how many read word for word now?

The news that users are three times more likely to read a brief summary than the full article is also getting a little long in the tooth. This figure came from research carried out by the Poynter Institute back in 2000.

Don't get me wrong, both these figures sound about right and my own experience backs them up, but are we in danger of perpetuating myths that no longer apply?

Go to Google, type in "Neilsen", "Morkes" and "16%" and you will find hundreds of web sites that continue to chant the mantra.

I would suggest that we should be carrying out our own research, tailored to our own audience. For the purposes of this article I assume that this means employees using a corporate intranet. How much would it really cost to get 10 employees in a room, get them to surf the intranet for information and monitor how they read it?

My guess is not much, but it would give you far more information about what works and what doesn't on your intranet. Using that information you are then better placed to tweek your content to suit your audience, rather than relaying on what are in effect ancient data, which have little relevance to the working environments we see in 2003.

And while you are at it, why not use instant polls to see if people actually find your intranet content useful. It only takes seconds for a user to click a button, but the results could prove once and for all whether you are hitting the mark.

Just a few years ago the bi-annual readership survey was a must for producers of in-house journals, but many companies now seem reticent about surveying its intranet users. This is a backward step and many corporations are missing out on what could be the most important part of their whole communications process - making sure that they are actually communicating effectively with the tools they have.

Steve Nichols (steve@infotechcomms.co.uk) runs InfoTech Communications and is editor of this ezine. InfoTech specialises in online communications and has acted as intranet consultant and trainer for many blue-chip companies including Aviva, AWG, Shell, Standard Life, HBOS, BNFL, Accenture and Australia New Zealand Bank.