Archives for the category "Information Design and Usability"

Setting a context for a content strategy vocabulary

March 30, 2012 · Posted in Content Development, Content Strategy, Definitions, Information Design and Usability  

The problem with building a glossary is that the definitions need to exist within a context. In my last post, I alluded to the ubiquitous term “template”, which has different meanings within different contexts, and Noz pointed out the word “format”, which has the same problem. The content strategy field is developing its own context, [...]

Plain Language comes to the US – for real, this time

June 28, 2011 · Posted in Content Development, Information Design and Usability  

The US will join the UK and Australia, which have Plain Language policies. As of October, the US will adopt the principles of Plain Language that makes content more accessible to low-literacy and ESL readers. Among the first initiatives was to design forms in plain language so that the average person could actually understand and [...]

The Value of Personas

November 17, 2007 · Posted in Content management, Information Design and Usability  

A post on the new Rockley blog got me thinking about personas. If I’ve learned anything over the past number of years as a consultant, it’s not to gloss over steps just because the digital thinkers consider it “the fluffy stuff.” The step of creating personas is one of those steps. Clients, particularly engineers and [...]

How to Develop a Great FAQ Page for an Online Course

August 8, 2007 · Posted in Content Development, Information Design and Usability  

When instructors and course designers create an online course, an accompanying FAQ page is often included as part of the package. While the creators of FAQ pages may feel virtuous about providing contextual information, the effectiveness can’t be confirmed until the other side of the equation has been calculated: Are learners using the FAQs? Get [...]

Why semantics matter

August 7, 2007 · Posted in Information Design and Usability  

In language, semantics is the branch of linguistics which studies meaning in language. In programming, it is the implied meaning of data, and is used to define what entities mean with respect to roles within a system. In other words, words matter because they carry weight and meaning. When the matter touches us personally, the [...]

Understanding the connection between persona development and business impact

July 6, 2007 · Posted in Content Development, Content management, Information Design and Usability  

When companies want to skimp in a development process, whether that be for a web application, a desktop application, a content management implementation, a usability project, or a documentation set, the first thing they’ll cut (if they even thought of it at all) is doing persona development. They’ll say it’s not important, or that it [...]

Usability of content management systems is discussed on multiple continents

June 14, 2007 · Posted in Content management, Information Design and Usability  

James Robertson of Step Two Designs just published an article on the 11 usability principles for CMS products. As usual, James has said what needs to be said about the topic, simply and eloquently. He has hit all the major points. But one of the pieces that I don’t think gets hammered home often enough [...]

Showing that users do RTFM

March 3, 2007 · Posted in Content Development, Information Design and Usability  

An interesting blog post about users who not only read the user manuals, but pay dearly to get their hands on them, and attribute their superior product successes to having read them. Why? The short answer is because the companies were willing to invest in the quality of the materials. Instead of the “let’s pick [...]

When site redesigns go wrong, badly wrong

January 25, 2007 · Posted in Content management, Information Design and Usability  

Canada’s airline, aptly named Air Canada, has a loyalty program called Aeroplan. Here are the reasons that “loyalty” doesn’t equate in the user experience equation. Before the site redesign, the site was usable, more or less. With a little hunt and peck, you could find what most of what you wanted. It was a little [...]

Are you reaching your markets?

November 20, 2006 · Posted in Information Design and Usability  

Jakob Neilsen’s Alertbox column for the day delivered some brow-raising statistics: 40% of the population las lower literacy skills, which creates a huge barrier for Web usability. Lower literacy is second largest accessibility problem. This digital divide isn’t created consciously or willfully – it’s not like merchants or government are trying to find ways to [...]

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