Killing Lorem Ipsum With Content-First UX

Transcript

1. Killing Lorem Ipsum With Content-First UX Ryan Bigge | #PCTO16

   | Feb. 20, 2016

2. Today’s plan Why words still matter Fixing the Lorem Ipsum

   problem Content-first UX in theory and practice

3. Once upon a content strategy… I’ve spent the last 20

   years working with words. I’m currently interested in the overlap between user experience, copywriting and content strategy.

4. Design is wordy https://signalvnoise.com/posts/3404-reminder-design-is-still-about-words

5. Poem about word design Click away from the pen tool

   Put down your Pantone book Stop rearranging your layers Close your stock texture folder Log out of your Dribble And god dammit, hug your copywriter Designing for the web is still about words

6. Content is Design & Design is Content & Blah is

   Blah is Blah

7. Bless you, GOV.UK It might sound strange, but content is

   a huge aspect of UX and UI. Want proof? Visit GOV.UK.

8. Those magnificent copywriters in their flying machines Thanks for subscribing

   to our super awesome unicorn newsletter! :eggplant: :thumbsup: We tend to think of copywriting as part of brand voice and tone, rather than UX or UI. For example:

9. Those magnificent copywriters in their flying machines But copy is

   much more than well-placed exclamation points! It contains multitudes. Thanks for subscribing to our super awesome unicorn newsletter! :eggplant: :thumbsup: We tend to think of copywriting as part of brand voice and tone, rather than UX or UI. For example:

10. At the same time, copywriters aren’t superheroes Stop. The UX

    is already dead. Hoping for a last-minute copy miracle to fix a broken user experience?

11. Why bad content happens to good people Psychological factors –

    Writing feels like homework Process factors – Words cost time and money Agency factors – Clients don’t view copy as shiny or sexy SOW factors – Not in the contract? Ain’t gonna happen

12. Fixing the problem

13. Give all credit for C1UX to Steph Hay How do

    we solve the content problem? By finding ways to put content and design on equal footing. That’s the idea behind content-first user experience. I did not invent content-first UX. Steph Hay, the director of content strategy at Capital One did. Steph Hay > Ryan Bigge https://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2014/06/24/steph-hay-content-first-user-experience/ https://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2015/07/22/steph-hay-designing-with-a-content-first-approach/

14. Making UX out of nothing at all The UX is

    coming from inside the GOOGLE DOC!

15. Making UX out of nothing at all “Spending an hour

    copying and pasting language into a completely blank text file is a much faster, lower-risk way to isolate the content and test it with people than it is to just continually iterate on the design.” - Steph Hay

16. Ryan’s definition of a conversation map A conversation map is

    a series of linked speech bubbles that express, in ordinary language, the content expectations of your persona as she travels from Point A to Z. As a bonus, it helps identify what she’s feeling (emotional states) and thinking (mental models)

17. How journalists think about their ideal reader When I was

    a journalist, I would ask myself: • What can I safely assume the reader already knows? • What must I explain to the reader? • How much info is needed to explain something unfamiliar? • How can I explain something so that I flatter the intelligence of readers who are in the know? • How can I nicely remind the reader of something I mentioned earlier in the article?

18. Anticipating and answering user questions Company: Please enter your CVV

    number. User: What the hell is a CVV number? Where do I find it? If the notion of an ideal reader is too intangible, then think of a conversation map as a tool to prevent your users from yelling at their screens.

19. UserOnboard – another example of a conversation map http://www.useronboard.com/how-quartz-onboards-new-users/

20. Conversation maps are keen I like Conversation Maps because: •

    They play to my strengths as a writer & content strategist • They offer a more natural way to discover the mental models and info needs of users • It’s not a complicated process to learn. If you’ve ever spoken with another human being, you’re good to go.

21. The shape of stories and the shape of user journeys

    http://www.mayaeilam.com/2012/01/01/the-shapes-of-stories-a-kurt-vonnegut-infographic/

22. The shape of stories and the shape of user journeys

    Fiction is full of conversations. So why not user journeys?

23. The shape of stories and the shape of user journeys

    Epic journeys involve plenty of conversations.

24. The shape of stories and the shape of user journeys

    Your conversation map serves as a rough draft for your copy. Since you might need to express complex ideas or explain new tasks, feel free to be wordy. Be sure to fully support user needs and goals across the entire experience. You can always edit it later.

25. How to fix your content challenges Psychological factors Writing feels

    like homework, but conversations are fun and easy. Process factors Layer a conversation map over existing UX tools like user journey maps or user flows. Agency factors Stress the role of content in RWD or accessibility. Link content and design in ways that clients can’t ignore. SOW factors Smuggle content-first UX into a discovery workshop with stakeholders. Nicole Fenton, co-author of Nicely Said, says that “she designs with words.”

26. Content-first UX resources via Medium http://tiny.cc/C1UX

27. Super amazing resources1 Content-­‐First User Experience – Steph Hay, Spool

    Cast 2014 “We’re looking at the words that we would use to communicate with a customer or a user. It allows everybody in the room to communicate. We all have this shared language. It’s not a wireframe.” Designing With a Content-­‐First Approach – Steph Hay, Spool Cast 2015 “Spending an hour copying and pasting language into a completely blank text file is a much faster, lower-­‐risk way to isolate the content and test it with people than it is to just continually iterate on the design.” Content and Design are Inseparable Work Partners – Jared M. Spool, Medium “Our users don’t separate our design from our content. They think of them as the same. So, why don’t we?” Designers: Stop Asking Copywriters To “Punch Up” Your Work – Joscelin Cooper, Co.Design “Rather than instruct designers on how to be better writers, let’s instead look at how designers can better work with content professionals.” Content Strategy: A Guide for UX Designers – Liam King, GatherContent “Stuffing Lorem Ipsum into wireframes and prototypes is not a content-­‐first approach.” Writing-­‐first Design – Jonas Downey, Signal v. Noise “Sketching is great, but before I start sketching, I start writing.”

28. Super amazing resources2 Five Principles for Great Interface Copywriting –

    John Zeratsky, Google Ventures “I’ve learned that writing is a core part of the design process — as essential as interaction design, visual design, prototyping, and user research.” The Most Essential Ingredient In Interaction Design? The Words – Jerry Cao et al., Co.Design “Interaction design succeeds or fails based on how well you can communicate with your user. Don’t underestimate the power of words in your communication.” In Conversation With CFPB’s Natalie Kurz – Kate Garklavs, 18F “I can’t stress enough how important it is to test wires and prototypes with actual content.” How Copywriting Can Benefit From User Research – Marli Mesibov, Smashing Magazine “User research is a great tool for copywriters because it can help them to better understand how users speak, and what they want or need.” Design the Beginning – Julie Zhuo, Medium “We user-­‐tested multiple versions of an early marketing page and it was immensely helpful in getting us to focus on a few key use cases.” How to Integrate Copywriting in Your Startup’s Design Process – John Zeratsky, Google Ventures “Empower your team to ‘design’ the text content alongside the visuals. When you work this way, your team can generate and test different competing solutions — and that includes different competing copy.”

29. Super amazing resources3 Designing Content First For a Better UX

    – Liam King, GatherContent “Why design content-­‐first? Because content is UX.” Q&A: Scott Kubie on Content Strategy, UX, and Design – David Sturtz, Blaze “I’ve also observed that more content strategists are doing design work and more designers are working on content strategy.” How to Work with Other People and Make Content Happen – Stephanie Wills, Medium “Content to design is a conversation, not a hand-­‐off,” Words As Material – Nicole Fenton “I believe that writing is part of every design. If you can clearly define what you’re making and articulate its value, the steps to bring it out into the world will go much faster.” Why Ads Are an Important Layer of Your Product’s UX -­‐ Ben Barone-­‐Nugent, TNW “Use what we learn in user testing to develop and test messaging for ads. This approach carves out a clear role for UX analysts and designers that doesn’t impinge on the traditional ad creative process.” How to Build an Opinionated Product: Design the Marketing First – Jake Knapp, Google Ventures “Build first, market later is still a common approach. Hard work is wasted on features that don’t make the marketing headlines.”

30. Super amazing resources4 Content-­‐First UX Not-­‐Articles • Design for

    Context Not the Device – Derek Featherstone, UX Thursday • Design & Content Conference – July 2016 in Vancouver • Speech Bubble User Flow – Barnabas Nagy • IXDA Speakers Panel: When Content Strategy and User Experience Converge

31. Thank you so much! http://tiny.cc/C1UX | Ryan Bigge | #PCTO16