ginny redish - writing for the small screen

Writing for the Small ScreenJanice (Ginny) Redish, Ph.D.

Redish & Associates, Inc.

Bethesda, Maryland

[email protected]

www.redish.net

@GinnyRedish


© 2013, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing for the Small Screen Slide 2

Topics for this morning

Think

Plan

Organize

Write

Design

Review and test

Think


Pictures of people ©iStockphoto.com, except where I give another citation



What devices do you own and use?



Why worry about writing for the small screen?

As of April 2012:

own a cell phone 88% of U.S. adults

of those, use it for internet 55%

of those, go online mostly or only on phone 31%

Smith, 2012http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Cell-Internet-Use-2012/Key-Findings/Overview.aspx



Age18 – 24 year olds 45%

MinoritiesAfrican-Americans 51%Hispanics 42%

Income and educationLess than $50,000/year 40%Not college graduates 39%

Of those who use the internet on a cell phone, this percent go online mostly or only from their phone:



90% of people start a task on one device and then complete it on another.

77% of mobile searches take place at home or work, only 17% on-the-go.

http://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/multiscreenworld_final.pdf

http://www.google.com/think/research-studies/creating-moments-that-matter.html



Share your story – preferably a small screen story

Flickr cc photo by theworldcafe



What do people want from web sites?

To satisfy their goals

Content

Information

To do a task

People just want to

answer their question

do a task

solve a problem

engage in a social conversation



Why focus on content?Useful, usable navigation and search are critical.

Good, clear design is critical.

Technology that works is critical.

But they all support the content that people come for.



How well does your site converse, especially on a small screen?

Every use of your web site is a conversation that the site visitor starts



Let's consider a common conversation

Try it!

Plan




Plan DraftReview,Test

Revise Publish

Draft =

OrganizeWriteDesign



Your site visitors must be able to

find what they need

understand what they find

act appropriately on that understanding

in the time and effort that they think it is worth

Find Understand Act

For web conversations to succeed…



Content strategy =

thinking strategically about your content aligning content with business goals

Develop and follow a content strategy

text

illustrations

charts

graphs

tables

forms

videos

podcasts

blogs

emails

social media

paper mailings



Content must be

planned

coordinated

reviewed

managed and maintained

removed

Content strategy = Governance and resources

Break down those silos!

all with cross-group collaboration



Content strategy = Coordinating across devices and platforms



Content strategy = Messages and more

Messages

Tones

Styles

Right contentin the right amountto the right personat the right timein the right medium

Media

Voice



To learn more about content strategy

Halvorson and Rach, 2012

Wachter-Boettcher,2012

McGrane, 2012

Leibtag,2013 (Nov.)

Redish, 2012



Plan before you write

Think before you write.

For every piece of content,answer these questions:

Why? (Purposes)

Who? (Personas)

What? (Conversations)



Why? (Purposes)

Align with the organization's overall strategy and goals.

Be measurable.

Focus on your site visitors and what they should do.

Be specific.

$

$



Focus on your site visitors and what they should do

to tell people how to make an appointment

anxious patients to call the correct numberto make an appointment easily and quickly

to give instructions for the … form

our very busy site visitors, whom we know don't have time to read carefully, to fill out the form correctly and completely without calling us up

We want



Be specific

www.manageyourwriting.com

Kenneth W. Davis



Who are your site visitors? (Name the different groups.)

What should you keep in mind about these people? (Write down adjectives or phrases.)

not what content they are looking for − that's the question after this one.

Who? (Personas)



What is a persona?

a fictional person who realistically representsa major group of site visitors

composite

based on data about demographics goals and tasks contexts of use (environments) values

Art



What? (Conversations)

Site visitors come with their own goals, tasks, questions.

See the site visitor coming to your content.

What does that person want?

Organize

Flickr cc photo by Polandeze




Organizing content for the small screen

Put your key message first.

Anticipate and answer site visitors' questions.

Keep it short.

Break it up.



If you don't answer your site visitors' questions,they may not "hear" your messages.

For successful conversations, you must mesh…

Successful web content

site visitors' questions

Your key messages

2011 version from a state agency



Put your key message first

Typical document

(narrative style)

topic, history, background, rationale

narrative of what you did

main point as conclusion

Better workplace document

(style for busy users;

inverted pyramid)

key message first

answers to questions readers would have (even if you don't write question headings)



Anticipate and answer site visitors' questions

Eva − one of the personas of the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner Try it!

Eva and Cobra

2013 version on a laptop

2013 version on a smart phone



Keep it short

Short sections

Short paragraphs

Short sentences

Short words

Short list items

www.marylandhealthconnection.gov



Break it up Your seventh-grade English teacher

never wrote for the web− and definitely not for the small screen.

A one-sentence paragraph is fine on the web.

Help people "grab and go."

fragments tables

lists images

linksTry it!

WriteDesignReview and test




Write the conversation

Use all the plain language guidelines.

Talk with your site visitors. Use "you" and "we."

Write in the active voice (most of the time).

Put the action in the verbs.

Cut unnecessary words.

✔✗



Everyone benefits from plain language

Summers, K. and Summers, M., 2005, Reading and Navigational Strategies of Web Users with Lower Literacy Skills, available at http://redish.net/images/stories/PDF/summers_asist2005.pdf



Design for the space you have

Keep small amounts of space between paragraphsand between list items.

Keep headings next to the text they cover.

If you use lines, put them over (not under) each heading.

Don't center text. Align text on the left.

Cut out large, meaningless pictures.

Use small, meaningful pictures.

Use visual design to save words.



Review and test your drafts

Read your draft out loud.

Share with colleagues.

Walk personas through their conversationson different devices.

Do usability testing with different devices.

Always keep your ego in a drawer.



Walk personas through their conversations on different devices Be the persona.

Come to the site with a realistic conversation.

What would the persona do?

How well would the site satisfy the persona's need?



Do usability testing with different devices

Do not rely on readability formulas (computerized grade levels).

Great writing for the small screen may score poorly.

Usability testing:Watch and listen as relevant people (one at a time) try to use the site to do realistic tasks.



Always keep your ego in a drawer

egoSuccessful communicationmeans creating contentin which your site visitors can

find what they need,

understand what they find, and

act appropriately on that understanding

− in the time and effort that they want to spend on it.You succeed only

when your site visitors succeed.



Thank you!More questions?Write to me: [email protected]

@GinnyRedish

Ginny Redish

Janice (Ginny) Redish, Ph.D.Redish & Associates, Inc.Bethesda, Marylandwww.redish.net

ginny redish - writing for the small screen

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