We’re busy. Be concise.

Default to concise

Readers decide fast. Research consistently shows that shorter content performs better:

1) Boomerang: 40M emails (2016)

Based on 40+ million emails, the “sweet spot” for email length is 50–125 words, with response rates above 50% in that range; response rates decline as emails get longer (e.g., ~44% around 500 words), and very short emails also underperform. This blog post is from 2016 and quotes email stats which you probably cannot replicate today, but the trend remains.

2) Nielsen Norman Group: controlled usability experiment (1997)

In a study using five versions of the same site (same info, different writing), the concise version (about half the word count) had 58% higher measured usability; “scannable” was +47%, and combining improvements was +124%.

What “concise” actually means

Concise does not mean short.

It means:
“As short as possible, but not shorter than what the reader needs.”

Removing words that don’t change understanding is concision.
Removing words that carry meaning is oversimplification.

A simple test:

• If deleting a sentence doesn’t change the decision the reader will make, delete it.
• If it does, keep it — even if the text gets longer.

How to write concisely (in practice)

Edit with intent:

• One idea per paragraph.
• Delete explanations of the obvious.
• Replace phrases with single words.
  • “In order to” → “to”
  • “At this point in time” → “now”
• Remove warm-ups. Start where value starts.
• Cut 20–30% after writing. Then reread for clarity.

If clarity survives, the cut was correct.

When the long version is the right choice

Some topics are naturally complex. They require longer explanations to be understood correctly.

If you’re explaining:

• A complicated concept
• A non-obvious workflow
• A system with many moving parts

Then your job is not to shorten. It’s to explain well. A complete explanation is still concise. It’s long, because the topic requires a long explanation, but concisely.

However, there’s an important signal here:
If explaining your own product requires long, careful instructions, you’ve likely found a usability problem.

When that happens:

• Don’t “solve” it with more documentation.
• Find the right person (designer, product owner, developer).
• Explain where users get confused.
• Push to simplify the product.

Documentation should clarify reality, not compensate for complexity.

Long explanations are acceptable when complexity is unavoidable or as a temporary solution, while your company is simplifying a too-complicated product.

They are a warning sign for complexity that needs to be handled.

In your practice assignment, you’ll take successful long-form content and cut it substantially while preserving its core value. This will develop your ability to identify what’s essential versus what’s padding.