Research shows that users have a poor experience navigating PDFs online, yet PDFs are ubiquitous across the web.
PDFs were designed to make sure print documents could be shared with professional printers so that files could be printed accurately. They were never intended to be an end-user format for online purposes.
Navigating PDFs on a mobile device is especially frustrating since the user has no control of page or text size, which leads to zooming, pinching and scrolling in order to access information. Some mobile devices do not support PDFs, so the audience who needs the information could be prevented from accessing it due to their operating system.
Do You Want People to Read Your Content?
Burying information in PDFs means that most people won’t read it. Participants in several of our recent usability studies on corporate websites and intranets did not appreciate PDFs and skipped right over them. They complained woefully whenever they encountered PDF files and many who opened PDFs quickly abandoned them.
Jakob Nielsen and Anna Kaley, https://www.nngroup.com/articles/pdf-unfit-for-human-consumption/
What this Means for our Websites
We want to make sure your content is best formatted to reach as many people as possible. And in most cases, this means that the days of exporting a file to a PDF and throwing it online are OVER. If a file is truly meant to be printed by the end-user, PDFs are acceptable. If the information is meant to be consumed digitally, it will need to be converted to HTML. In some cases, both formats may need to be made available.
Want to read even more about why PDFs are terrible? PDF: Still Unfit for Human Consumption, 20 Years Later
PDF Alternatives on the Web
Here are some of the most common types of PDFs we see online with recommendations on how to ditch the PDF and get your information noticed.
Event Flyers
Create an event in the University calendar (https://calendar.clemson.edu/). This is the only way to guarantee that your events will appear on PSA/CAFLS websites.
Learn how to use the calendar.
Payment forms
Use Marketplace to list your for sale items or workshops and take online payments.
https://www.clemson.edu/finance/cash-treasury/marketplace/
Surveys
Consider using Qaultrics or Google Forms. They are both available through CCIT.
Qualtrics: https://ccit.clemson.edu/services/software-hardware/software/qualtrics/
Google Forms: https://ccit.clemson.edu/services/technical/data-storage/google-apps/
Brochures
Trifold brochures have their place, but it’s not on a website. Instead, the information provided in the brochure can be reformatted in HTML to make sense on the web.
Need Help?
Our team will work with you to make sure that files are compliant and the content is best formatted for your users.
For assistance/consultation with providing accessible alternatives to PDF newsletters, brochures, meeting minutes, handbooks or other files, please complete a Project Request Form.
