Clever Strategies to Engage Users Online
On our phones, laptops, and tablets, content comes
at us from all directions in ultra-compact,
bite-sized pieces: a quick-burst Tweet, a
one-sentence news alert, a 10-second recipe video.
And it makes sense, considering that our attention
spans seem to be shrinking, or at least
changing.
With shortform content so deeply entrenched in
today’s digital landscape, one might be inclined to
scrap the deep dives and focus web articles on quick
summaries and bulleted lists. And that’s the right
thing to do in some cases, but longform content is
far from dead. There are still plenty of times when
users are interested in a detailed look at a topic
or product.
The key to doing it right? Giving users options for
how they engage with the content. Things like jump
links to skip through sections, toggles to show or
hide details, and outlines placed high on the page
that allow users to decide where to skim and where
to take a closer look.
Keep reading for examples of these strategies and
our thoughts on best practices for implementation.
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