content out is the ux strategy

Content Out is a UX StrategyAug. 24, 2016Mike Donahue@mdonahue37

Content is not a replacement for place holdersLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras facilisis aliquet vehicula. Maecenas feugiat mattis urna, nec feugiat neque tempus ut. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. Fusce non facilisis urna, ac aliquam sem. Vivamus laoreet ligula quis enim ultricies, finibus rutrum arcu aliquet. Nam ac blandit sem. Etiam rutrum gravida nulla ut commodo. Ut congue fermentum nisi porta sollicitudin. Aliquam pellentesque ipsum felis. Sed molestie consequat nibh nec blandit. Sed cursus, leo sed tincidunt lobortis, enim nibh porta lorem, non porta justo dui vitae massa.

Button label

Content is not just text.

Content is not king!

Definitions from my MacAdjectivein a state of peaceful happiness: he seemed more content, less bitter.• satisfied with a certain level of achievement, good fortune, etc., and not wishing for

more: he had to be content with third place | the duke was content to act as Regent.Noun1 (usu. contents) the things that are held or included in something: he unscrewed the top of the flask and drank the contents | he picked up the correspondence and scanned the contents.• [ usu. in sing. ] the amount of a particular constituent occurring in a substance: milk

with a low-fat content.• (contents or table of contents)a list of the titles of chapters or sections contained in a

book or periodical: the contents page.• information made available by a website or other electronic medium: online content

providers.2 the substance or material dealt with in a speech, literary work, etc., as distinct from its form or style: the outward form and precise content of the messages.

SatisfactionHow it makes people feel

StuffWhat it is

SubstanceWhat it’s made of or means

cont

ent

content

contentThe 3 S’s of great content

Does the content of your content leave people feeling content?

substance stuff

satisfied

Content is core!

Would you spend $8 in bar for an empty glass you

can’t keep?

Satisfaction comes from the substance of stuff.

Content should inform design, design should not dictate content.

People want content that helps them accomplish

their goals.

“There is a huge difference between writing brand copy (text) and writing UX copy. Brand copy supports the image of the company. UX copy gets shit done as directly and simply as possible.

Joel Marshhttp://thehipperelement.com/post/72080847673/daily-ux-crash-course-3-of-31

Creating the right contentBe thoughtfully ruthless to create appropriately precise content.

Case study: Citrix intranet redesign (Backstage)• Employees felt they

spent too much time trying to locate relevant content – too much stuff to sift through• It was painful and

confusing to locate and open support requests• They came to get

answers so they could get back to work, not be entertained or socialize

Old version

Without UX

Or worse.

This is what we want.

Page table - Priority Index

http://www.slideshare.net/donahuephoto/page-table-template

Put 90% of your time into these two box

Emotion-driven goal (page table objective)

We want employees to feel confident and efficient finding the right information and

support so we will remove noise and downplay distractions so they can return

to work as quickly as possible.

There can be only one...Priority 1Get thoughtfully ruthless.

After page tables...…and a complete overhaul of the IA, UI, and visual design.

Net results75-90% reduction*in content across sections383% increase in search use224% increase in page views per session34% decrease in average time per session59% decrease in bounceMassive improvement in employee satisfaction

*excluding support section

Creating functional contentGreat content makes it easy for the viewer to find and comprehend what is presented

Expanding our definition of interactionThe hand isn’t the only way to interact with content.

Most interactions begin the eyes.

Most interactions begin in the eyes.

Function: Findability – through looking

stock image

Content is not the text you get two days before launch to replace the lorem ipsum, that’s too long or too short for the space you alloted in your wireframe, that got carried over to your Photoshop mock-up, and then to the coded

prototype. Nor is it some irrelevant stock image of a smiling couple with a cute puppy or baby

playing at the beach that has no connection the aforementioned last minute text that was

selected because some read an article that said images of people lead to higher conversions, but

instead draws the eye away from the primary call to action action you want the visitor click on.

Content is not the text you get two days before launch to replace the lorem ipsum, that’s too long or too short

for the space you alloted in your wireframe, that got carried over to your Photoshop mock-up, and then to the coded prototype. Nor is it some irrelevant stock image of a smiling couple with a cute puppy or baby playing at the beach that has no connection the aforementioned last minute text that was selected because some read

an article that said images of people lead to higher conversions, but instead draws the eye away from the primary call to action action you want the visitor click

on.

• Content is not a replacement for lorem ipsum• Content is not a pleasing but irrelevant stock image

Function: Findability – through clicking/typing

Function: Findability – through clicking/typing

Decision fatigue Pogo sticking

Emotion-driven goal (page table objective)

We want employees to feel confident and efficient finding the right information and

support so we will remove noise and downplay distractions so they can return

to work as quickly as possible.

After page tables

Net results46% reductionin support content48% increase in online support tickets21% decrease in misdirected tickets$383K annual cost savings

Test the content like you test the UI?Content optimization yields bigger rewards.

All content is UI.

Case study: Citrix.com redesign• Tracked NPS score before

and after redesign• Applied the same design

changes to all category and product pages• Only had resources to

rewrite the content within the networking categry and products

Function: Readability – which feels easiest?

A B C

Function: Readability – what is easiest?

https://readability-score.com/text/

Function: Readability - scoringGrade level • Ideal grade score for average audience is 8±

• Lower grade indicates easier reading

• Is a good indicator of vocabulary required by reader

• Avoid unnecessary big words at all cost

Reading ease • Ideal reading score for average audience is 45 or higher

• Higher scores indicate easier reading

• Is a good indicator of sentence quality

• Avoid run (long) on sentences

Function: Readability – impact on satisfaction Networking and NetScaler readability scores before and

afterBefore

Average grade: 20±Average readability:

12Worst scores: 27/-47

AfterAverage grade: 14±Average readability:

35 and higher

Function: Readability – impact on satisfaction Networking and NetScaler readability scores before and

after

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%Before NPS

-40%-20%

0%20%40%60%80%

100%After NPS

416%

Function: Understandable

What does that mean? Why did wait until I finished everything to check?

What do you mean invalid? That’s my number!

How should I know this was required?

Function: UnderstandableAvoid errors with preemptive messaging

Validate as you go, avoid unnecessary for visitor

Provide hint text – especially if you want something that’s not the norm

Simple error message templateWhat went wrong? What should have happened? Message

User entered dashes into the phone field.

User should only enter numbers without space or dashes

Enter only numbers without spaces or dashes (hyphens). Example: 0000000000

User submitted form without filing in required phone field.

User must fill in phone field. Phone number is required. Example: 0000000000

Employee tried to create a new account

Employee should just log in with credentials.

Employees can sign in with their network credentials to begin. Sign in now.

3 keys to successfully working content out• Be thoughtfully ruthless, cut content until it’s appropriately

precise• Get everyone on board, content is everyone’s responsibility• Make content that helps people get shit done and measure

it

Content is not king.Content is CORE!