alt text

The text that appears in a browser when graphics display is disabled. "Alt" is short for "alternate." To accommodate users who have turned off their graphics, as well as vision-disabled users, the alt text for every image should communicate the image's meaning--not appearance.

An area of a website that contains some or all of its “old” content (where “old” depends on how often the site is updated).

content inventory 

A list of content items to be included in the website (such as “product X datasheet” or “letters-to-the-editor column”). Ideally, the list should be prioritized and each item should indicate the target audience, format (e.g. Web page, Word doc), length, and frequency of updates. A one-sentence summary of the content is also useful.

content page

A Web page that primarily provides content (text, images, downloads, and sound or video files). Content pages contrast with “navigation” pages, whose purpose is to guide users to the content they’re looking for.  Example: Salon.com article

A written specification of site content, covering audience, purpose, content inventory, information design (schema and structure), global page elements, and editorial style (it may point to a separate site style guide). It may also include user scenarios, a list of team members and responsibilities, a schedule for creating the initial content and a process for ongoing publishing. See the Content plans page for sample plans.

The defining, planning, and shaping of content and the context it is presented in to achieve specific objectives in relation to the needs of its intended users. For websites, IA includes designing the indexing, labeling, and navigation systems to support browsing and searching throughout the site.

Organizing text so that the most important information comes at the beginning. Borrowed from journalism, the inverted pyramid style is considered the most useful for most Web writing.

The name used consistently for a section of a website or an element of a user interface. Common labels include “Home” or “Main” for a home page and “Contact Us” for a feedback page.

The smallest unit of content on a Web page. Includes page titles, headings, link text, Alt text, and subject email lines. Term coined by Jakob Nielsen.

In recent browsers, the text displayed when you move the mouse over a link. Also called “link title text,” mouseover text can be used to provide more information about the page being linked to or to create a popup definition (similar to Help). It can be added to any link by including a TITLE parameter in the HREF tag (which is the tag used to code a link). For example, when you move the mouse over the link coded below, the text “Link to MSN” is displayed:

<a href="http://www.msn.com" title="Link to MSN">MSN</a>

A Web page whose primary purpose is to guide users to the content they’re looking for. Typically, a navigation page consists of a list of links with summaries. Also called “organizer” or “branching” pages, navigation pages contrast with “content” pages, which contain what the user is seeking (text, images, downloads, and sound or video files). Example: Salon.com list of Big Brother episodes

Defines the shared characteristics of content items and influences the logical grouping of those items. Examples include alphabetical, topical, and audience-specific schemes.

Defines the types of relationships between content items and groups. Examples include linear, hierarchical, and Web structures.

A version of a Web page optimized for printing. Typically, a single page or file with a table of contents at the beginning, smaller margins and line lengths than the original, no site navigation or advertising, smaller graphics, and the site URL in the page footer.

How easy it is to scan a page of text and absorb the most important points. A highly scannable page includes subheadings, tables, lists, highlighted words and phrases, and short paragraphs.

A fundamental change in a website, including its overall information organization, audience definition or purpose, navigation, or graphical look. Redesigning a site can take as much time and resources as it took to create it in the first place. Contrasts with site updates. 

The group(s) of people for whom a website is created, defined by specific attributes such as age, gender, job, or income.

A detailed description of how a typical user interacts with a website. Often written like a story, the scenario describes the hypothetical user, her purpose in visiting the site, any problems she may have in using the site, and the path she takes in getting to the content she needs. The purpose of the scenario is to make elements of the content plan more concrete and to give team members a “real” user to keep in mind as they build the site.