In this weeks class we are learning about content design. We had a whole module on this subject last semester but today was just a recap and reminder of what we learnt.
Content design is designing content for a specific user, and is made best for them. It is all about finding the right type of content and knowing when it is appropriate to use each one. The key part of content design is that it is tailored toward the users need. This can be achieved by writing user need statements, which state what needs to be done, without limiting how it can be done. Once you understand what the user needs and what the user wants, we are then in a better position to supply them with that need. “The best content knows it has a purpose and fulfils that purpose.” - Sarah Winters. This quote talks about how it is so important to only supply the users with a specific piece of information, and once they get that, they will leave.
A task that we then done was writing 3 user need statements for our project, and this was done to further ensure that we have a good understanding of what the user needs, and having more is better. In industry there could be over 50 user need statements, and we need to be able to choose the ones that we think will be the most effective. My ones focused on university students who in one way or another struggle with routine. We also thought about some of the different content that we could use to help solve this problem. For my project I thought that notifications and calendars will be useful for what I am trying to achieve.
Text is the primary medium that we display content. This is because text can pack the most amount of information clearly. When it is best used is alongside icons or images, and also when it is precise. Eye-tracking shows that users read with an ‘F’ pattern. This happens because people are trying to minimise the amount of work that they need to do and get the most amount of content out of it. Utilising headings is also important, as users will quickly scan a heading and decide whether they want to read it or not. Formatting a document properly with headings, good sized paragraphs, and concise text is important. Using plain english is key when doing UX writing, as we must be inclusive and accessible. In the example image below the pop up says the same thing in two different ways. The green one is better because it uses concise language with as little words as possible.
“Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send.”
This law refers to how as UX designers we must be flexible about what we expect from the user, and be willing to change our own ideas and thoughts if the research and data from the users shows otherwise. Our interfaces should accept a variety of inputs as users will not always be perfect. On the other hand, we should be conservative in what we send in that we should be clear and adhere to standards and conventions. Being liberal in what we accept makes us more user friendly and inclusive. An example of this is Slack, which accommodates lots of different file formats, allowing the user to have freedom to choose their preference. This law is something that we should always be aware to follow as it helps us be more user friendly and also have more clarity.
We were then put in our groups and asked to read about a company’s tone of voice. Our group was given Mailchimp, which is an automated email and marketing company. What we found from their guidelines is that they make an effort to come across as friendly and personal. They also talk about how they don’t use business jargon and slang, as small business may not be familiar with it. Plain english and the active voice is used, and this is expected since their platform is for a wide range or people. Although they have a mascot Freddie, they don’t speak in his voice as he doesn’t speak, he is just there to represent the brands good attitude. This was interesting and I never knew how much effort went into making sure that a brand talks in a consistent tone of voice the whole time, and how this is a job on it’s own.
Voice and Tone | Mailchimp Content Style Guide
Todays class was a useful lecture on content design, particularly focusing in on text and how we can use tone of voice to convey our brand to users. I enjoyed the workshop task of looking at Mailchimp’s tone of voice and seeing what they do. I was quite surprised as I thought that they would use more jokes and humour, but instead they have a focus on being clear and simple when they are speaking to their users. Overall todays class was useful as what I learnt can be taken over into my project and how I speak to the user.