Comparing Apples to Oranges

When searching for information, whether online or in printed media, the most important determination of a good resource should be the quality and reliability of the information. However, many times it is the aesthetic appeal of the resource that draws the reader in. A plain-Jane website, magazine, or newspaper may not attract the readers that it deserves. There are many ways to spice up a publication, but there are differences in which methods are useful for which type of media. Jakob Nielson’s article “Differences Between Print Design and Web Design” discusses some of these differences.

In Print Design...

• Large “canvas” size is a benefit over the limited screen size available to most websites. The user can view the entire page at once, and take in the information in any order they wish.
  
• Clearer resolution makes images much easier to work with.
  
• Turning a page makes navigation much easier as opposed to clicking a link and waiting for a subsequent page to load completely.

In Web Design…

• Information is presented in a much more interactive way. Users can scroll through the information at their own pace, click on links that lead to infinite other sources of information, and even be entertained by animations.
  
• Users have a hands-on experience that is much more exciting than simply turning a page. As Nielson puts it, “doing is more memorable and makes a stronger emotional impact than seeing.”
  
• It is much more difficult to create a uniform viewing experience for all users, since different computers have different fonts, screen sizes, and graphic capabilities.