The most important things that you can do to make your documents skimming-friendly are:
▪Distinguish headings clearly from the text. ▪Likewise, distinguish subheadings clearly from the text. If your authoring tool supports it, consider placing subheadings into a margin column. ▪Clearly distinguish different heading levels. ▪Choose a clear and simple design with only a few colors and fonts. You can then better highlight important key words and key phrases. ▪Provide orientation so that readers can easily identify their current position within the document. In a printed manual, add running headers and footers (see Structuring: Running headers and running footers). In online help, consider providing a breadcrumb trail (see Structuring: Breadcrumb trail). ▪Create paragraph styles that visually communicate the information type of a paragraph’s content. For example, create paragraph styles that clearly set apart warnings, notes, and tips. ▪Provide separate paragraph styles for lists and procedures. ▪Make page numbers large enough so that all readers can clearly read them. Page numbers aren’t dispensable; they’re a key navigation tool. |