Content Design: What it is & why you need it

Content Design
What it is & why you need it
Erin Abler
Lead Content Designer, Office of Innovation & Technology
City of Philadelphia
@erinabler

Erin Abler • @erinabler
Content design
The practice of shaping
information to help people
take action.

Medicaid: Apply if you are aged (65 years old or older),
blind, or disabled and have low income and few resources.
Apply if you are terminally ill and want to receive hospice
services. Apply if you are aged, blind, or disabled; live in a
nursing home; and have low income and limited resources.
Apply if you are aged, blind, or disabled and need nursing
home care, but can stay at home with special community
care services. Apply if you are eligible for Medicare and
have low income and limited resources.
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/testexamples/indexExample.cfm?record=86

Government content
is confusing.

Government content
is repetitive.

Government content
is hard to read.

Government content
is bad content.

Why should we care?

It affects the quality
of our services.

It affects our bottom
line.

It affects whether or
not people trust us.

It affects our ability to
do our job.

How do we fix it?

Content precedes design.
Design without content isn’t
design, it’s decoration.
“
Jeffrey Zeldman
Founder, A List Apart (1998), Happy Cog
(1999)

Ad hoc rewriting is a crutch,
not a solution.

So, wait…
how DO we fix it?

User needs are our
north star

https://www.gov.uk/design-principles

Content design objectives
• Understand user needs
• Organize information more intuitively
• Create new content for unmet needs
• Develop an underlying content strategy
• Manage content at every stage

Conduct user research
• Analytics
• User interviews
• Task analysis
• Surveys

Create user need stories
As a: [type of user]
I need to: [task/action]
So that I can: [goal]

Who is this for?

Who is this for?
What will help this person reach their goal?

Who is this for?
What will help this person reach their goal?
What larger thing does the user need to accomplish?

As a [type of user], I need to [task/action] so that I can
[goal].

[goal].
As a homeowner, I need to know how much real estate tax
I owe so I can make a payment.

[goal].
As a small business owner, I need to know which taxes I’m
required to pay so I don’t get in trouble for not paying them.

[goal].
As a small business owner, I need to know which taxes I’m
required to pay so I don’t get in trouble for not paying them.
As a low income resident, I need to find affordable tax
counseling so that I can prepare my tax return correctly.

Gov.uk’s scoping rules
1. Do people want this?
2. Can people reasonably expect us to meet this
need?
3. Can only government meet this need?
4. Is it explaining someone’s rights or obligations?
5. Is it transactional or encouraging a shift to digital
by default government services?
https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2011/09/19/introducing-the-needotron-working-out-the-shape-of-the-product/

User Needs Prioritization
People
want
this
We can
meet
this
need
Only
gov’t
provide
s this
Explains
rights or
obli-
gations
Trans-
actional,
digital by
default
As a homeowner, I need to know
how much real estate tax I owe so I
can make a payment.
As a small business owner, I need
to know which taxes I’m required to
pay so I don’t get in trouble.
As a low income resident, I need to
find affordable tax counseling so
that I can prepare my tax return
correctly.

Well-designed content turns
a need into an action.

To meet a need . . .
• Be specific
• Be informative, not descriptive
• Keep to the point
• Be clear about what comes next

Our user need
As
I need to
So that I
know what to do
am prepared to deal with one if it
happens.
someone potentially affected by a future
emergency,

1
1 Mixed themes & multiple
headers
Before . . .

2 1 Mixed themes & multiple
headers
2 No explanation of unfamiliar
term
Before . . .

headers
2
3
No explanation of unfamiliar
term
Different descriptions cover the
same subject
Before . . .
3

2
3
headers
2
3
4
No explanation of unfamiliar
term
Different descriptions cover the
same subject
Indirectly related content
dominates the page
Before . . .
4

…and after1
1 Clear organizational premise

…and after
2 Plain-language description
2

…and after
3
2
3
Plain-language description
Consolidation of repetitive
content

…and after
2
3
4
Plain-language description
Consolidation of repetitive
content
Related content moved to its
own subsection
4

How do we clean up
content?

Revision is creation.

The best ways to revise
content are also the best
ways to create it.

Support scanning
• People only read 20-28% of text on a page.
• We look for clues that we’re on the right track
before we actually commit to reading.
Jakob Nielsen, http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/
Why
How • Use brief, clear headings.
• Break lists into bullet points.
• Use sentence case, not all-caps.

Erin Abler • @erinablerJakob Nielsen, http://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/

Put the important stuff first
• People scan content in an F-shaped pattern.
• Readers will decide for themselves if they
want more detailed information.
Why
How • Put critical information in the first two
paragraphs.
• Start subheadings, bullet points, and
paragraphs with informative, noticeable
words.Jakob Nielsen, http://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/

Use white space
• Cramped page layouts make it hard to tell
which content is the most important.
• Dense, lengthy text is less likely to be read.
Why
How • Keep most paragraphs 2-3 sentences long.
• Work with a designer to create an intuitive
visual flow.
Jakob Nielsen, http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/

Use active voice
• People want to be spoken to, not at – and
certainly not about.
• It’s human nature to be impatient.
Dan Carlin, http://www.crocstar.com/2015/02/online-writer-skills/
Why
How • Use “you” and “your” when talking to the
reader.
• Name the doer before the thing being done.

Talk like a human
• Bureaucratic language is often obscure.
• Everyone needs context when learning
something new.
Why
How • Use common words and contractions.
• Provide context and explain the unfamiliar.
• Aim for an 8th grade reading level – 5th or 6th
grade when possible.

Fight complexity
• Long, complicated phrases take longer to read
and more concentration to understand.
• Unnecessary details only delay action.
Why
How • Shorten sentences to 15 words or fewer
whenever possible.
• Aim to instruct or explain, not to describe.

Choose format purposely
• Text isn’t always the best way to help
someone take action
Why
How • Make processes and transactions interactive
• Use digital forms to collect information
• Use meaningful visuals, not random stock
photos

How can we tell
whether it works?

A
Consistently clear, concise, and direct. Based on identifiable user needs.
Provides a logical path to a decision or action. Uses appropriate tone. Uses a
format purposely selected to optimize clarity, intuitiveness, and interactivity.
B
Generally effective. Clear, well structured, supports a central concept, and uses
language understandable to a wide audience. Supports users’ needs with
actionable information. May benefit from additional consolidation, editing, or a
different format.
C
Meets basic requirements but has noticeable shortcomings. May be
disorganized, difficult to follow, redundant, or attempt to cover more than one
subject.
D
Below acceptable standards. Poor organization, ineffective sentence
construction, unnecessary details, and imprecise or misleading wording.
Incomplete, repetitive, or uses excessive jargon. May include typos, broken links,
or other proofreading errors.
F
Inaccurate, unnecessary, or so poorly written that it’s likely to confuse or mislead
users. May include dense prose or irrelevant material, or be located in a place
that doesn’t match users’ expectations.

A
B
different format.
C
subject.
D
F
• Consistently clear, concise, and direct
• Based on an identifiable user need
• Provides a logical path to a decision or action
• Uses appropriate tone
• Uses a format purposely selected to optimize
clarity, intuitiveness, and interactivity

A
B
different format.
C
subject.
D
F
• Generally clear and effective
• Structured to support a central concept
• Uses language understandable to a wide
audience
• Supports users’ needs with actionable
information
• May benefit from further consolidation,
editing, or a different format

A
B
different format.
C
subject.
D
F
• Meets basic requirements but has noticeable
shortcomings
• Suffers from disorganization
• Uses logic or language that is difficult to
follow
• Repeats key points instead of stating them
clearly
• Often attempts to cover more than one

A
B
different format.
C
subject.
D
F
• Falls below acceptable standards
• Significantly hampered by poor organization
• Includes repetitive or unnecessary details
• Has imprecise, awkward wording
• May include jargon or needless complexity
• May include typos, broken links, or other
proofreading errors

A
B
different format.
C
subject.
D
F
• Inaccurate, unnecessary, or so poorly written
that it’s likely to confuse or mislead users
• May include dense prose or irrelevant
material
• May be located in a place that doesn’t match
users’ expectations

F
A
Failure of recollection is common. Innocent
misrecollection is not uncommon.
People often forget things or make
mistakes in what they remember.
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/examples/before_after/jury.cfm

D
C
A preponderance of the
evidence.
More likely than not.
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/examples/before_after/jury.cfm

A brief guide to writing well
1. Write something. Anything.

1. Write something.
2. Walk away from it. Seriously. At least 5,000 steps.

1. Write something.
2. Walk away from it.
3. Reread it. Wonder what you were
thinking.

1. Write something.
3. Reread it.
4. Revise it.

1. Write something.
3. Reread it.
4. Revise it.
5. Have someone else read it. Befriend that coworker who finds
fault with everything.

1. Write something.
3. Reread it.
4. Revise it.
5. Have someone else read it.
6. Revise it.

1. Write something.
3. Reread it.
4. Revise it.
6. Revise it.
7. Have a lot of people read it. Get feedback. Get data. Get humble.

1. Write something.
3. Reread it.
4. Revise it.
6. Revise it.
7. Have a lot of people read it.
8. Revise it. Repeat as needed.

Key points
• Ad hoc rewriting is a crutch, not a solution.
• Well-designed content turns a need into an
action.
• The best ways to revise content are also the
best ways to create content.
• To improve, seek feedback.
• And finally…

Don’t just make content better.
Make better content.

Content Design: What it is & why you need it

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