How to Scan, Absorb and Process

Information
Business, How To, Web Design Mar 18, 2010
Learning new information quickly is very important to both designers and developers.
That being said, regardless of your profession and whether its 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. Its 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 youre 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 theyre 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
youre just scanning content. If the images dont seem to be making any particular point, its
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 doesnt save much time for the reader, but its 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 doesnt 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. Its not well-suited to pieces that dont 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 youre 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 isnt necessary to understanding the core information youre
looking for.
Another drawback to long articles is that they tend to go much more in-depth than many
people need. Usually, if youre 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 its supposed to.
These longer paragraphs are also often filled with extra information that isnt 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. Youll 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.
Its faster than how most of us traditionally read, but doesnt 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 theyre 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 doesnt 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. Thats the easy part. Its a bit trickier to absorb that information as youre 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 youre scanning can be a great way to absorb what youre 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 youre 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 youre 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 youre not keen on taking notes, consider creating a mind-map showing the relationships
between the information youre reading.
Mind maps can be more creative than notes and can further help reinforce what youre
reading and allow you to retain that information for longer.

Reflect
Reflect on what youre 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 Youre Reading

As youre 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 youre reading. It also helps to ensure you
dont skip over important bits as youre scanning.
If you cant answer the questions youve come up with, you may need to either scan through
the text again or look a little deeper into the subject youre 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 youre scanning so you retain it better.

3. Process
Scanning and absorbing can both be done without much deep or abstract thought.
Theyre 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 youre looking at and your own learning style. Read on
for some of the possibilities.

Image by jez

Rephrase What Youve Read

Rephrasing what youve 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 theres a reason you were assigned that type of thing so often: it
works and really does help you retain information.

Try It Out
If youre reading a how-to article, try what its 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 youve learned, but to also expand on it with your
own knowledge as you learn more.
Look for opportunities where you can apply the concepts youve scanned and absorbed. The
more experience you get, the more youll 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 its missing or has overlooked, and then write down those opposing views.
One of two things will likely happen when you do this. Either youll find that the original
information you read stands up well to criticism and youll have a better understanding of it
overall. Or, youll realize that there are better approaches and you may turn in a new
direction. In either case, youll 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 theyre 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 youre 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

Weve covered things that are particularly well-suited to scan-absorb-process, but what about
content that doesnt work well with this method? Some content definitely isnt learned well in
this way and will require a different approach.

Video and Audio Content

This ones a no-brainer. You cant scan video or audio content. Fast-forwarding doesnt
count.

Step-by-Step Instructions
Step-by-step instructions need to be followed step-by-step. And scanning doesnt really work
well with that, as usually there isnt 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
dont 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 arent.

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 thats conducive to this method.
Heres 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 youve 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)?

More Resources

Absorb Information Like Never Before From Get Everything Done.

Absorb Information Faster Than Your Peers From Lost In Cubes.

Scannable Content From ProBlogger.

How to Write Scannable Content: A 6-Step Approach From Daily Blog Tips.

Reading on the Web From Jakob Nielsens Alertbox.

Written exclusively for WDD by Cameron Chapman.

Did you just scan this article? :) How do you scan and absorb information? What methods
work best for you?