Technical Paragraphs Are Often Inefficient M ore traditional writing genres, such as the five-paragraph essay or the short story, build gradually and inevitably to a conclusion . Long paragraphs are acceptable in this kind of writing, because the reader is expected to read every word , in strict sequential order. T echnical readers want the conclusion up front . They will bail out quickly, unless they find something interesting. They will scan ahead in order to predict a page's usefulness , focusing on the words and phrases that jump out at them.
Many users report eye strain or other discomfort .
Users lose their place when pages are densely packed. Blocks of text can be intimidating .