Masterclass — How to be clear: the elements of content design

How to be clear

How to be clear The elements of content design

Jonathon Colman Senior Design Manager, Intercom @jcolman

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

Everyone have one of these?

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?

Web Directions code of conduct webdirections.org/web-directions-event-code-of-conduct/ “Our event is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate at any event, including talks, workshops, parties, or via Twitter and other online media. Event participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event, and refused entry to further events, without a refund at the discretion of the conference organisers.”

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, writing, and designing 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 an incomplete list] • Discovering your core values • Defining an organization’s voice • Documenting tones of voice • Designing product content for an app • Improving content design with critique

Any final questions?

THANK YOU and enjoy Web Directions!