Jakob Nielsen in a web usability consultant with a Ph. D. in human-computer interaction.  He attended the Tecnical University of Denmark.  Nielsen worked at Sun Microsystems where he focused on developing standards for web usability.  Nielsen currently writes a newsletter available for free called Alertbox.

In How Users read on the Web, Nielsen mentions that most internet users do not even read word by word.  The majority, skim and scan the page.  Nielsen also covers important tips to have a useful site.  One of these suggestions is having high quality graphics so users find the site to be a reputable source.

In F Shaped Pattern for Reading, Nielsen talks about the standard habit of user’s scanning.  Typically, readers scan the article in a pattern resembling an F shape.  Several studies have tracked user’s habits and found these to be universally true.

Website users read in a F shaped pattern