Writing Content that is Compelling and Useful
edUi 2012 speaker and independent UX consultant Stephanie Hay talks with Jeff Parks on the Radio Johnny Podcast.
Steph shares insights about writing content that is both compelling and useful by shifting our perspective to that of the people for whom we are trying to communicate. Sharing insights about user happiness and working towards are greater understanding of the emotional response of the user, organizations can start speaking to the values of their clients resulting in a better user experience.
Quotes
“…people don’t try very hard to write content. They go to this formulaic approach of needing to fill in real estate that may have been ear marked by the designer, or constrained by the CMS of choice..there isn’t the kind of content that really speaks to a user that the user wants to read.”
“Users are now skeptical, and prone, to select whatever is at the top of a search result. Choosing who their friends recommend, that becomes and amazing opportunity to get your content front and centre. The way that you do that is by being different from the pack. In content, for example, maybe 5 or 10 years ago having a website was an asset. Today having a website is not an asset and neither is having a lot of content on your website if that content is not helpful or compelling.”
“The most important consideration from a UX perspective, I think, is about prioritizing user happiness…often UX folks like myself are so focused on the interaction and even getting user feedback, we inadvertently ignore a couple of things… for example the microcopy that encompasses an interaction…the second piece of this is the emotional response that the user can have, is often overlooked. “
Notes
- Follow Steph on Twitter
- Design for Emotion by Trevor van Gorp and Edie Adams
- Why Personas Are Critical for Content Strategy by Kris Mausser
- The Cast of Personas by Indi Young
Like what you heard? Then consider subscribing to Radio Johnny or come see Stephanie in person at edUi, a conference for web professionals serving institutions of learning.
Jeff Parks
Jeff is the co-founder of DIGIA UX Inc. and actively collaborates with industry professionals from around the world through his involvement with Boxes and Arrows and Johnny Holland. Jeff is also leading workshops on Information Architecture and User Experience Design over at Follow the UX Leader, in addition to volunteering his time as a Mentor and Member of the Board of Directors for the Information Architecture Institute.
Stephanie Hay
Stephanie Hay is a writer, project manager, and information architect with an uncanny ability to seamlessly guide users from point A to point B. She believes that understanding the online behavior of target audiences is the key to enabling positive user experiences.
Stephanie writes energizing content that compels people to buy, vote, contribute, and connect. She’s helped start-ups, non-profits, national businesses, and global companies speak genuinely to their audiences.
This co-founder of FastCustomer with an Master of Science from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University has worked with organizations like George Mason University, Viget Labs and the American Council on Education.
