Help Readers Understand the Organization of a Document
 
Use headings and subheadings to signal the content of each part of the document. Keep in mind the design principles of emphasis and consistency: format your headings in a consistent manner that helps them stand out from other parts of the document.

Help Readers Locate Information and Ideas
 
Many longer print documents use tables of contents and indexes to help readers find key points. Websites and multimodal essays (see Chapter 19) typically provide a mix of menus and navigation headers and footers to help readers move around the site. You can distinguish these navigation aids from the surrounding text by using bordered or shaded boxes or contrasting fonts or colors.

Help Readers Recognize the Function of Parts of a Document
 
If you include passages that differ from the main text of your document, such as sidebars and “For More Information” sections, help readers understand their function by designing them to stand out visually. Using emphasis, you might design a sidebar with a shaded or colored box or format a list of related readings or Web links in a contrasting font or color.