How to be clear: Designing Content for Products (full-day workshop)

How to be clear Designing content for products

Jonathon Colman Senior Design Manager, Intercom

Everyone have one of these?

Agenda 9:00-10:30am Intro & core values 10:30-11:00am Break for morning tea 11:00-12:30pm Discovering your voice 12:30-1:30pm Break for lunch 1:30-3:00pm Tone and content design 3:00-3:30pm Break for afternoon tea 3:30-5:00pm Group critique

What you should know straightaway • Bio breaks and toilets • Be gentle, stay curious, assume best intent • This is a judgment-free zone • Please take distractions elsewhere • Introverting is a-okay • Don’t worry about finishing everything • Oh, so you’re already an expert?

Interaction 20 code of conduct (abridged) interaction20.ixda.org/code-of-conduct “…the IxDA respectfully asks the following of our membership, both for online and in-person interactions under our brand: • To be considerate and respectful of all cultures, backgrounds and perspectives • To maintain a professional manner and refrain from harassment or exclusionary behavior toward other members • To endeavor to resolve misunderstandings directly, through open dialogue and respectful feedback • To notify the organizers or moderators if you feel you have experienced harassment or have witnessed the harassment of others.”

How to be clear What do we mean by clear, anyway?

How to be clear Clarity could mean: • A lack of ambiguity • Total comprehensiveness • Ease of understanding or use • Sense-making • Consistency

How to be clear Clarity could mean: • A lack of ambiguity • Total comprehensiveness • Ease of understanding or use • Sense-making • Consistency • Structure and strategy

Jesse James Garrett’s 5 planes of UX © Jesse James Garret, The Elements of User Experience - http://www.jjg.net/elements/ (used with permission)

Where content is seen and used © Jesse James Garret, The Elements of User Experience - http://www.jjg.net/elements/ (used with permission)

Where content is modeled and built © Jesse James Garret, The Elements of User Experience - http://www.jjg.net/elements/ (used with permission)

Where content is proposed and planned © Jesse James Garret, The Elements of User Experience - http://www.jjg.net/elements/ (used with permission)

Where you’ll be practicing content design today © Jesse James Garret, The Elements of User Experience - http://www.jjg.net/elements/ (used with permission)

Content design What do we mean by content design, anyway?

Content design “ Working from people’s intent and organizational goals to solve problems and create value by planning, structuring, designing, and writing content in interactive product experiences. ”

Content design “ Working from people’s intent and organizational goals to solve problems and create value by planning, structuring, writing, and improving content in interactive product experiences. ”

Content design Okay, then what do we mean by content?

Content design “ Content is the stuff I came here for. — Mike Monteiro, Erika Hall, & Kristina Halvorson ”

LANGUAGE IS AN INTERFACE © Aer Lingus - https://www.aerlingus.com/support/contact-us/#/tab-0-ireland

LANGUAGE IS INFRASTRUCTURE © Aer Lingus - https://www.aerlingus.com/support/contact-us/#/tab-0-ireland

LANGUAGE IS DESIGN MATERIAL © Aer Lingus - https://www.aerlingus.com/support/contact-us/#/tab-0-ireland

LANGUAGE IS ENABLEMENT © Aer Lingus - https://www.aerlingus.com/support/contact-us/#/tab-0-ireland

Infrastructure for clarity Core Values

Infrastructure for clarity Voice Core Values

Infrastructure for clarity Tones of voice Voice Core Values

Infrastructure for clarity Words Tones of voice Voice Core Values

A strategy for results Words Tones of voice Voice Core Values } • Standards & styles • Controlled vocabulary • Flexibility for growth • Repeatable success • Ongoing improvement

A strategy for results Words Tones of voice Voice Core Values } • Standards & styles • Controlled vocabulary • Flexibility for growth • Repeatable success • Ongoing improvement These are the elements of content design

What we won’t cover today [an incomplete list] • Content strategy for the web • Defining specific terms and usage • Information architecture • Content modeling • Localization • Product or feature naming • Visual or interaction design

What we will cover today [also incomplete] • Discovering your core values • Defining an organization’s voice • Documenting tones of voice • Designing product content for an app • Improving content design with critique

Conclusion Bringing the elements all together

What did we learn today?

What did we learn today? © Jesse James Garret, The Elements of User Experience - http://www.jjg.net/elements/ (used with permission)

What did we learn today? Words Tones of voice Voice Core Values

What did we learn today?

You also learned… Your own, personal core values

You also learned… How to work fast under pressure

You also learned… How to negotiate as a team

You also learned… How to satisfy business & user goals

You also learned… How to strengthen each other’s work

You also learned… How to be clear

Additional resources • Content + UX resources bit.ly/Content-UX-Resources • Content design: planning, writing, and managing content www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/what-is-content-design • Voice, tone, and content guides voiceandtoneguides.webflow.io/ • Content strategists group on Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/contentstrategists/ • Content + UX Slack mjmetts.com/content-ux-slack/

Some books about content design • Writing is Designing by Michael Metts & Andy Welfle • Strategic UX Writing by Torrey Podmajersky • Content Design by Sarah Richards • The Craft of Words (Part 1 & 2) by The Standardistas • Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson • Nicely Said by Kate Kiefer Lee and Nicole Fenton

Some events featuring content design • Confab Events confabevents.com • Design & Content content.design • Information Architecture Summit iasummit.org • EuroIA euroia.org • Find your local Meetup! meetup.com

Any final questions?

THANK YOU and enjoy Interaction 20!