User-centred content

A presentation at UCD BRS: 1 - User-Centred Content in in Bristol, UK by Mike Dunn

We know content that meets audience needs is key to user-centred design. But under pressure to get the work done it can get neglected, copied over wholesale during a migration, or written with business needs - not user needs - in mind. Wouldn’t it be better if you could help an organisation discuss the value of the content and, if need be, say no?

We’ve developed a simple tool to help you identify that sweet spot where content meets user needs and business objectives. It lets you take representative (or controversial!) content and score it against audience needs and organisational objectives. It then highlights if there is a mismatch between the two. This can be used to inform conversations about whether the content is doing its job - and if not, why not.

We work with lots of clients in the charity, not-for-profit and governmental sectors. Our goal is to go beyond user-centred design by helping instill a culture of user-centred thinking at the organisations we work with. Content is central to this but budgets are always tight, and the temptation is to save money by leaving difficult conversations about it for another day. This tool really helps us have those conversations!

Resources

The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.