Learning new information quickly is
very important to both designers and developers.
That being said, regardless of your profession and whether it’s for school,
work, or personal improvement, being able to retain the information without the
need to spend hours studying is an incredibly useful skill.
One of the best methods for learning new information quickly is to use the
scan-absorb
process method.
This consists of
scanning content quickly, absorbing the
important points, and then
processing it so you can apply it
to your own projects.
Read on for more details on each step…
1. Scan
Scanning is
briefly looking over content, picking out only
the most important bits to read.
This is probably the most important part of this learning method. It’s the
first step, though it is often done in conjunction with the next step,
“absorb”.
Not all content is appropriate for scanning, though, so make sure you take a
quick look at whatever you’re preparing to scan with that in mind prior to
starting.
Image by flippnjj
Look for Content Suitable for Scanning
Lists are particularly well-suited to scanning. Whether
they’re bulleted, numbered, or in some other format, finding content that
presents the information you need in list-form can improve your scanning
effectiveness.
Just be wary of posts that are entirely list-based, with little or no other
content. Lists should be used to emphasize the other content within the post,
not in place of all other content.
The use of
illustrations within a blog post or article can
greatly improve how scannable it is. Well-chosen illustrations reinforce the
concepts an article presents and can clarify points better than words
sometimes.
One caveat, though: sometimes poorly-chosen images can only serve to confuse
you more if you’re just scanning content. If the images don’t seem to be making
any particular point, it’s best to either read the content fully or ignore the
images all together.
Using font styles like
bold and
italic can make it
easier to pick out key phrases within content. When overused, it doesn’t save
much time for the reader, but it’s still a valuable way of picking out the most
important points in a post or article.
Look for content that includes plenty of
white space. This
includes empty space around the text as a whole, as well as around headings and
between paragraphs. Space in and around the text makes it easier to pick out
particular words and phrases, and to read quicker. White space allows your eyes
to relax, which lets you scan faster and with less eye strain.
The First and Last Sentence Technique
If the content you need to scan doesn’t include lists or other content
mentioned above, you can use the first and last sentence technique.
This consists of
reading the first and last sentence of each
paragraph within the article. This technique is best suited to more
formal text, where the first paragraph in a sentence is generally the thesis
statement and the last sentence sums up the meaning of the paragraph and serves
as a conclusion of sorts.
What this does is allow you to gather the most important points in an
article or blog post without having to read the entire thing. It’s not
well-suited to pieces that don’t have a formal structure, though, so be aware
of that when attempting this.
Beware of particularly short and long paragraphs, too, as they can either
cause you to read virtually everything in the article or miss important points,
respectively.
Long is the Enemy
If you’re looking to scan information quickly,
avoid long posts
and articles.
While some longer posts that are well-structured can still be scanned, many
longer articles have extraneous information that isn’t necessary to understanding
the core information you’re looking for.
Another drawback to long articles is that they tend to go much more in-depth
than many people need. Usually, if you’re using the scan-absorb-process method,
you want a general overview of the topic at hand, not an understanding on par
with those who have a PhD in the subject.
Long paragraphs are another enemy of scannability. Longer
paragraphs have a couple of pitfalls. Longer paragraphs often contain more than
one idea or concept, which prohibits the first sentence/last sentence rule from
working as it’s supposed to.
These longer paragraphs are also often filled with extra information that
isn’t vital to the core information presented. Conciseness is your friend when
scanning content.
Look for shorter posts that are well formatted with lists, headings and
subheadings, and styled text for optimum scannability. You’ll gain the most
useful information while spending the least amount of time and effort.
Pay Attention to the Table of Contents
If you have to read something longer (maybe the only thing available that
really covers the topic you want to learn about is a book), pay close attention
to the table of contents to
organize your learning ahead of
time.
The table of contents will generally outline every important
point related to a given subject, and can give you a great start on figuring
out where to focus your efforts and what to take notes on (more on note-taking
under “Absorb”, below).
Speed Reading
When you need to learn more in-depth information than what scanning will
allow for,
speed
reading can be a great solution.
It’s faster than how most of us traditionally read, but doesn’t skip as much
content as scanning sometimes does. The absorb and process techniques outlined
below can be used with speed reading just as they can be used with scanning.
Beware of False Scannability
There are a few cases where an article will appear scannable at first
glance, but upon further inspection you realize they’re not particularly
well-suited to scanning after all.
A post that is just one long list is one example. Lists are usually
scannable, but when that list has 200 items on it, scannability flies right out
the window. Look for posts that use lists as reinforcement of key points, not
ones that contain nothing but list items.
Another big scannability problem comes when paragraphs within the article
only contain one or two sentences. Reading the first and last sentence of each
paragraph doesn’t save much time when those are the only sentences in each
paragraph. While short paragraphs are definitely desirable over long ones, look
for articles where most paragraphs are made up of at least four or five
sentences.
2. Absorb
Scanning information is only the beginning. Anyone can quickly glance over
an article or post. That’s the easy part. It’s a bit trickier to
absorb
that information as you’re scanning, without having to go back over it
half a dozen times before any of it sticks.
Image by Jean-Louis Zimmermann
Take Notes!
Taking notes as you’re scanning can be a great way to absorb what you’re
reading.
Write down the main points as you read them. You can do
this stream-of-consciousness style, with little formatting or structure, or you
can create an outline. Choose whichever one works better for you.
Outlines can be particularly helpful if what you’re reading
is already well-structured with headings and subheadings. If not, you may just
want to jot everything down in one long list.
Whether you write down verbatim what is contained in the article or rephrase
it as you take notes depends on your own learning style. Some people have to
rephrase in order to retain information, while for others just the act of
writing it down will allow them to remember it.
As mentioned above, if you’re working with a longer piece, coming up with an
outline or a list of points you want to take notes on prior to actually
starting can streamline and speed up your efforts. A table of contents is a
great place to get the necessary information to do so prior to actually delving
into the text at hand.
Mind Map
If you’re not keen on taking notes, consider creating a mind-map showing the
relationships between the information you’re reading.
Mind maps can be more creative than notes and can further help reinforce
what you’re reading and allow you to retain that information for longer.
Reflect
Reflect on what you’re reading as you read it. This can be done within your
notetaking or separately.
One of the easiest ways to reflect on something is to ask yourself questions
about it. Then, go find the answers to those questions in a similar fashion.
Question What You’re Reading
As you’re reading something, come up with questions related to the text.
Answer them as you go along.
The purpose of this is to
engage your mind as you’re reading.
It also helps to ensure you don’t skip over important bits as you’re scanning.
If you can’t answer the questions you’ve come up with, you may need to
either scan through the text again or look a little deeper into the subject
you’re studying.
Short Sessions
Your brain can only absorb so much information at one time. And that time
gets shorter
as
you get older.
So instead of sitting down for a five-hour cram session, spend 20 or 30
minutes at a time, with 20 or 30 minute breaks in between. This gives your
brain time to absorb, process, and store the information you’re scanning so you
retain it better.
3. Process
Scanning and absorbing can both be done without much deep or abstract
thought.
They’re more mechanical than processing in that respect. But processing is
where we actually learn information in a meaningful way. A way that we can then
apply to the project at hand and to future projects.
There are a few ways to process the information you scan and absorb, and choosing
the right one depends both on the information you’re looking at and your own
learning style. Read on for some of the possibilities.
Image by jez
Rephrase What You’ve Read
Rephrasing what you’ve read can be done during the absorption stage (while
taking notes) or afterward.
Scan and absorb the information as detailed above and then
write out
a short paragraph or two about what you just read. Sure, it might
remind you a bit too much of all those reading assignments in school, but
there’s a reason you were assigned that type of thing so often: it works and
really does help you retain information.
Try It Out
If you’re reading a how-to article, try what it’s telling you.
This type of processing is particularly suited to short how-to articles that
have advice you can repeat over and over again on multiple projects.
Gain More Experience
This is related to trying it out, but gaining more experience in a
particular subject can give you the opportunity to not only try what you’ve
learned, but to also expand on it with your own knowledge as you learn more.
Look for opportunities where you can apply the concepts you’ve scanned and
absorbed. The more experience you get, the more you’ll learn from just a few
minutes of scanning and absorbing.
Dispute It
Argument can be a great way to learn more about something.
This works best with opinion pieces or articles where there are opposing
viewpoints or options.
When you read something, try looking at it from the opposite angle. Poke
holes in it, look for what it’s missing or has overlooked, and then write down
those opposing views.
One of two things will likely happen when you do this. Either you’ll find
that the original information you read stands up well to criticism and you’ll
have a better understanding of it overall. Or, you’ll realize that there are
better approaches and you may turn in a new direction. In either case, you’ll
have more knowledge than you did when you started.
Content Particularly Suited to Scan-Absorb-Process
Some kinds of content are better suited to the scan-absorb-process method
than others. Recognizing the kinds of content that can be more easily learned
this way is vital to making the method work. Any well-formatted article can be
used with this method, but there are other types of content that are also
particularly well-suited.
Image by GrapeCity
Charts and Infographics
Simple charts, graphs, and other graphical representations of information
are excellent for this method. The key here, though, is simplicity.
Complex charts and infographics can be nearly impossible to simply scan and
get any kind of accurate picture of the data they contain. Graphs are slightly
easier and trends can usually be picked out even with larger data sets.
Non-Scientific Theories
People come up with theories all the time. From economic theories to
conspiracy theories, non-scientific theories can usually be scanned quite
easily as long as they’re properly formatted.
In many cases, theories are written out with tons of supporting information,
much of which is repetitive. Scanning lets you pick out the most important
concepts without reading a bunch of evidence that only reinforces what was
said.
Be careful with this, though, as claiming a theory is valid without being
able to quote any evidence can make you look like you’re willing to believe
anything. But, scan-absorb-process is a good place to start when investigating
theories about any non-scientific subject.
Scientific theories are often too complex for this method, though a cursory
understanding can still sometimes be gleaned from scanning, absorbing, and
processing.
How-To Articles
How-to articles (not tutorials) are well suited for the scan-absorb-process
method. In many cases, they follow a fairly formal structure and often use
formatted text, lists, and headings to organize their material.
Things That Work Against Scan-Absorb-Process
We’ve covered things that are particularly well-suited to scan-absorb-process,
but what about content that doesn’t work well with this method? Some content
definitely isn’t learned well in this way and will require a different
approach.
Video and Audio Content
This one’s a no-brainer.
You can’t scan video or audio content.
Fast-forwarding doesn’t count.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step-by-step instructions need to be followed step-by-step. And scanning
doesn’t really work well with that, as usually there isn’t much extraneous
content you can skip over. The exception to this is when anecdotal support is
provided for each step.
This can be skipped over, provided you understand the step without it.
Informal Opinion Pieces
This one has more to do with structure than the actual content. Most
informal opinion pieces don’t do much with headings or font styles or formal
paragraph structure, making scanning nearly impossible. While some opinion
pieces might be scannable, the vast majority aren’t.
Pieces with Poor Structure
Structure is your friend when it comes to scanning information. Without
well-thought-out paragraphs, lists, headings and subheadings, and styled text,
scanning can be nearly impossible.
Luckily, in most cases you can tell right away whether something is
well-formatted for scanning or not. If not, look elsewhere for the information
you need or abandon the scanning and read the entire piece (you can still use
the absorbing and processing methods described here).
Creating Content Suitable for Scan-Absorb-Process
The flip-side of learning to use the scan-absorb-process method for learning
things is to create articles that keep this method in mind.
Those seeking information, online especially, often use this method either
consciously or subconsciously and are more likely to turn to your site if your
information is laid out in a manner that’s conducive to this method.
Here’s a simple questionnaire to cross-check your content:
- Do you use
bold, italic, and other font styles
to make important bits stand out?
- Do you use
headings and sub-headings?
- Do you use
lists to reinforce
important points?
- Do the
images you’ve used to illustrate your content help to clarify your meaning?
- Are your paragraphs short (but not
too short, at least 3-4 sentences)?
- Do you use
traditional paragraph format
(a thesis sentence, followed by a few sentences supporting your thesis,
with the last sentence a conclusion)?
