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Subject:Re: Web Writing: Numbers - spell out or not? From:"Chuck Martin" <twriter -at- sonic -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 4 May 2001 15:48:20 -0700
"Cook, Jenise" <jenise -dot- cook-crabbe -at- pacificlife -dot- com> wrote in message news:103937 -at- techwr-l -dot- -dot- -dot-
> After reading and studying much on "writing for the Web," I'm looking at
my
> current project. One HTML page has various numerical references on it
(e.g.,
> "...payments are drafted three business days after ...." "Changes and
> terminations must be sent to the home office within ten days of....").
>
> I've decided, for those numbers under ten (10), to type the number and not
> spell it out (e.g., "...payments are drafted 3 business days after ...."
> "Changes and terminations must be sent to the home office within 10 days
> of....").
>
> Why? I believe the reader will better remember the number of days if s/he
> actually sees the number and not "three" or "ten". It's my best shot at
> usability on this issue.
Well, I'll take a different tack, one that I haven't seen (yet) addressed:
When writing for the web (or pretty much any online medium), I've adopted my
own style (which I sometimes have to alter depending on the company I'm
working for) of writing numerals.
Yes, I know the general style adminition of spelling out numbers of 10 or
below (and know the varying exceptions). But these edicts were born of a
different era. My rationale for my viewpoint:
Screen real estate is much more valuable than the real estate on a printed
page (even in the tight confines of newspapers). Pixels count. Numerals (2,
3, 4, etc.) take up less screen real estate thatn spelled out (two, three,
four, etc.).
Network bandwidth can be limited, slow, or both. Numerals push (slightly
less) data through that bandwidth, thereby increasing (slightly) the time
needed to fully display the information.
Writing for online must be as compact and efficiant as is reasonable. I
think that using numerals is not unreasonable for online presentation. I
know of no research that woudl say this approach is better or worse; if
anyone knows of any, I woudl certainly embrace it.
--
--
"I don't entirely understand it but it is true: Highly skilled
carpenters don't get insulted when told they are not architects,
but highly skilled programmers do get insulted when told
they are not UI designers."
- anonymous programmer quoted in "GUI Bloopers"
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com
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