Many people — from those with limited literacy skills to people with high baseline literacy skills who are in a hurry — read only the first few words on a page or paragraph. If they think the content will be easy to get through, they may keep reading. If they’re overwhelmed and think it might be difficult, they might skip to a different spot on the page or give up altogether.25, 50, 51, 70, 73, 79, 80
Figure 4.6: This MyHealthfinder page on preventing skin cancer clearly states the most important information about what causes skin cancer at the top, then follows up with steps people can take to protect themselves
Source: https://odphp.health.gov/myhealthfinder/health-conditions/cancer/take-steps-prevent-skin-cancer
Putting the most important information first helps structure content for people on mobile — and for busy people, no matter their literacy level or what device they’re using. Eye-tracking data shows that we all tend to read content at the top of a page and lose interest quickly if the information doesn’t seem relevant.81
Keep the most important content visible without scrolling — even on mobile
People tend to spend the most time looking at the content they see first,82 so make sure the most important and compelling content is visible without having to scroll down. Users often judge the content they can see to decide whether it’s worth scrolling down to see more.82
The higher up on the page content is, the less likely it will be skipped or missed.82 People with limited literacy skills struggle with large amounts of content or visual clutter,24 and they’re more likely to use a smaller screen,83 so it's important to minimize the need for scrolling as much as possible.
Figure 4.7: The Move Your Way® homepage keeps the most important content visible without scrolling, even on the mobile version. The first paragraph clearly explains the purpose of the page, which is giving tips to help people fit more physical activity into their routine.
Try viewing your website or product using different monitors, browsers, and devices to see how content displays on the screen.
Finally, be aware that people may mistake horizontal lines or large sections of white space at the bottom of their screen for the end of a page. That’s a good reason to look at your site on many devices and screen sizes. If you find either of these at the bottom of a page, consider making some changes — “false bottoms” might prevent people from seeing all your content.53
