Offline or online it\u2019s the same: the words that you use influence how people behave. What you say and how you say it influences every part of their service experience. Offline we think of this as \u2018how we talk to our beneficiaries\u2019. Online we call this \u2018content design\u2019.<\/p>\n
However, many charities won\u2019t have heard of content design. So we talked to Sarah Richards of Content Design London<\/a> about why charities should look into it. Then we asked her for ten simple tips anyone can use, especially if they\u2019ve not heard of it before.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an evidence-based process anyone can use to plan, write and manage<\/a> better content. It involves checking easy-to-find data and evidence and using what you learn to make your content more relevant, more efficient and easier to consume for your audience.<\/p>\n Content could include service descriptions, online instructions, interface copy, data presentation, menus, online forms\u2026 anywhere words appear online.<\/p>\n Content design is about more than just writing. Because when your beneficiaries are stressed and in need their online behaviour becomes more extreme. More will read everything, more will scan and click all your links and buttons, and fewer will take the middle ground. So you need to work with how people behave. This means producing content that makes it easier for them to get information and take action, without adding to their cognitive load<\/a>.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t about being a good writer. It\u2019s about understanding your audience well enough. It\u2019s about having empathy with their behaviours and needs. Especially now when people are isolated and worried about how coronavirus and its ripples are affecting their life.<\/p>\n A lot of content is about providing a service, which is distinct from news.<\/p>\n News is passive and doesn\u2019t ask the reader for an action. Service content is action-orientated. If you are writing for a service you need to get in the mindset of action. If your users are looking for help then it\u2019s good to give them something to act on. For example people are experiencing a loss of control around coronavirus, so they\u2019re pleased when they\u2019re asked to do something positive, like handwashing and social distancing.<\/p>\n There are several easy places to get this.<\/p>\n We use this tool to understand the natural language people use. This can be different to the language your organisation is used to using. It\u2019s even more important to use people\u2019s natural language online because you can\u2019t offer them the other non-verbal cues you would face-to-face or over the phone.<\/p>\n For example here\u2019s a comparison of the words people use when they are in debt<\/a> and another for when they are thinking about children\u2019s mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n Use forums to understand people\u2019s priorities and questions. They are a gold mine of language and insights. The language people use here is the language you want to use. The questions they are asking most often are the questions you want to answer. For example if you are a debt advice charity right now people may be asking questions about debt and coronavirus.<\/p>\n Pay careful attention to the words people use when talking to you for the first time. This will also yield insights into the type of content and words to use. You might have some of this insight already but it always pays to listen to their language before they get to know you and become influenced by the words your organisation uses.<\/p>\n Do your research. Be methodical. Write it down.<\/p>\n Focus on content that only you can produce, where only your charity can add value. For example if you\u2019re a small mental health charity, publish content about your offer. Then link to other sources that provide really good mental health advice, rather than writing your own.<\/p>\n Or perhaps one of your services has started using Zoom with its beneficiaries. Explain how it works in the context of your service and link to Zoom\u2019s existing guide e.g. \u201cIt\u2019s a video conferencing tool. We send you a link. You turn your camera on if you\u2019re comfortable to. <\/em>Here\u2019s more information on Zoom<\/em><\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Don\u2019t duplicate content across your site. If you swamp people with similar information across several pages they will get confused and leave.<\/p>\n Headings tell a story whatever you are writing, whether it\u2019s a page or an interface. They help people understand what they are going to get. Front-load headings with key words or terms. Headings are good for accessibility. Headings should not be questions.<\/p>\n When we skim or scan content our brains look for language we can understand. So use the words your beneficiaries use in your content\u2019s title, first fifteen words and headings. This helps them trust you and know they are in the right place.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re unsure how to get started, think about how you write a tweet. Tweets try to get complex information across using a small number of words people already use. Writing some instructions or designing an interface is the same.<\/p>\n Just because people read what you wrote doesn\u2019t mean they understood it. Use clear language and consistent terms. This makes it easier to interact with. It means more people understand you. Avoid metaphors and similes. Be careful of colloquial phrases unless your research suggests otherwise.<\/p>\n Use active sentences. The human brain understands active sentences better<\/a> than passive ones. So give your content to people in this way.<\/p>\n Put the most important information at the start of a sentence. This is important for any kind of online content.<\/a><\/p>\n When you write more, people understand less.<\/a> Aim for around 19 words or fewer per sentence and definitely no more than 24.<\/p>\n Design your content. Then go back and remove 30% of its words.<\/p>\n Reduce cognitive load by clustering content in ways your users expect.<\/p>\n For example, when designing an online form group name and contact details together. Then group other similar question types together.<\/p>\n Questions take longer to read than statements. Yes, you absolutely should be answering people\u2019s common questions. But FAQs aren\u2019t the best way for your users to get those answers. Why is this? Have you ever noticed that GOV.UK doesn\u2019t use FAQ pages<\/a>?<\/p>\n Five ways to test your new content and gauge its impact.<\/p>\n Use regular content testing techniques<\/a>.<\/p>\n Print out your page. Cut it up into sentences and paragraphs. Then see if each one still makes sense on its own. Remove those that don\u2019t.<\/p>\n Ask people to read your content then explain to you what it is saying to them. You will quickly find out if they don\u2019t understand it. At the moment you can\u2019t do this on the street but you can do it over video calls.<\/p>\n The Canadian Digital Service asked Content Design London (CDL) to have a look at their content. CDL tweeted it out and people tweeted back what they thought it was saying and what they didn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n They will come to your services and you\u2019ll notice they are more informed. They will know what to expect. You\u2019ll spend less time explaining. You might also find fewer people accessing your service when they don\u2019t need it. And more for whom it is the right service. When Citizens Advice re-designed their content more people self-served online. The knock-on effect was that bureaus had more face-to-face time for those with the most complex issues.<\/p>\n Follow the content design tips above and your service will become easier to use. But if you want to learn more\u2026<\/p>\n Big hat tip to Sarah for her input into this article.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":18505,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false},"tags":[],"resource-category":[1959,1961,1957],"class_list":["post-18504","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource-category-service-delivery","resource-category-digital-accessibility","resource-category-content-design"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nContent design is simple and non-technical<\/h2>\n
Empathetic content<\/h3>\n
Service content is not the same as news<\/h3>\n
Data and evidence to help you design content<\/h2>\n
Google Trends<\/h3>\n
Forums<\/h3>\n
Listening to your users<\/h3>\n
Ten ways to create better-designed content<\/h2>\n
1. Only publish what you need to<\/h3>\n
2. Don\u2019t duplicate<\/h3>\n
3. Structure your content<\/h3>\n
4. Use your beneficiaries\u2019 language<\/h3>\n
5. Be clear and consistent<\/h3>\n
6. Use active sentences<\/h3>\n
7. Front-load sentences<\/h3>\n
8. Reduce your words<\/strong><\/h3>\n
9. Group content by theme<\/h3>\n
10. Reconsider the FAQ format<\/h3>\n
How to know that your content is working better<\/h2>\n
1. Testing<\/h3>\n
2. Self testing<\/h3>\n
3. Guerrilla testing<\/h3>\n
4. Ask the content design community for help<\/h3>\n
5. Your audience\u2019s behaviour will change.<\/h3>\n
You\u2019re ready to get started now<\/h2>\n
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