aiga homegrown: writing for the web
DESCRIPTION
If you’re reading this, you’re probably a designer, which means you’re more likely to express yourself visually than with words. That also means attending a writing workshop is probably not your first choice on how to spend a perfectly good lunch. But wait! What if we told you that today's designers are destined to become web writers? True – you may not feel comfortable with words, but neither do most web audiences! These days, communicating verbally is part of the job description for all of us. Let Alice Williams show you how to communicate what your next web visitor wants to know as painlessly as possible – for both of you. Listen, have a nice lunch, make friends with fellow designers – and maybe even cozy up to words. All in all, it's not too bad for a lunch. Connect with Alice before the event (@StratChick) and let her know what you'd like to learn about writing for the web.TRANSCRIPT
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Alice Williams919.834.2552 [email protected]
March 13, 2012
Fewer Words, More ActionWhat designers need to know about writing for the
Web
Good start. Needs more gibberish.
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Let’s get warmed up
Who are you in six words or less?
Kindle is not quite the same.
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
First Things First: Who are you? (But really, Why should I care?)
What would they believe or value?
What do they believe or value?
What do we currently claim?
What would we like to become?
Now Future
Now FutureExternal
InternalOUR BRAND
Chris Grams, The Ad-Free Brand: Secrets to Building Successful Brands in A Digital World (2011)
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Why does it matter?
Now Future
The Web is about SHOWING, not TELLING.
If you don’t figure out who you authentically are, you have nothing to show.
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Why does it matter?
Now Future
hesketh.com: Web-powered outcomes for empowered clients
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Now Future
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Why does it matter?
Now Future
Museum of Life & Science• Explore, connect, learn, share (or)
• Creating opportunities for lifelong science discovery
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Going Deeper
Now Future
Establishing Persuasion, Emotion and Trust (PET)
Can I do it?
Will I do it?
Information architecture & user experience
User-informed design & content
How do you PET your audience?
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Your Tools: Elements of Tone
? Mirroring of user mental models
? Use of person & voice
? Content choice (how much detail, which details, what forms of evidence)
? Word choice (connotations, level of technical usage, complexity, parts of speech)
? Sentence structure/cadence
? Information chunking
? Selection of visual elements
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Choose your words carefully, but…
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Working on the Web means saying goodbye to control
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzee_que/3852900728/
What Do Your Web Visitors See?
Source: http://www.useit.com/eyetracking/
1) Top line of F is first
2) Middle line of F is second3) Vertical line
of F is third & most intense
May quickly scan for a
call to action
May quickly scan for a
call to action
Banner Blindness
Banner Blindness
Source: http://www.useit.com/eyetracking/
Visual division of space can extend the lines of the F
Visually highlighted areas
can change patterns
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
What Eye Tracking Tells Us
Scannability is key!Front load key information in the first two
(short) paragraphs.Say goodbye to “clever” leads & subheads.Integrate & visually brand large banners. Visitors are not reading all your text –
period. Most will read 20% - 30%*
* Harald Weinreich, Hartmut Obendorf, Eelco Herder, and Matthias Maye. ”Not Quite the Average: An Empirical Study of Web Use," in the ACM Transactions on the Web, vol. 2, no. 1 (February 2008), article #5.
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/percent-text-read.html
Why you usually get to win in a debate with your web copywriter.
For every additional 100 words on a page, visitors will only spend another 4.4 seconds there
visual.ly
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Now Future
"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?""That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat."I don’t much care where--" said Alice."Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
Now, for the action
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Now Future
Navigation labels
Calls to action
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Now Future
Lack of mutual exclusivity
Jargon or proprietary terms
Way too many choices
Find my navigation
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Don’t Do It! Mystery Meat Navigation
Before…
After…
Not
everyon
e is a
navigato
r
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Our Goals Audience Goals
Effective Calls to Action
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
In Summary, good web writing… Shows, not just tells, your brand Allows for easy scanning Offers clear navigation & Calls to
Action
©2011 hesketh.com/inc. All rights reserved.
Thank You…
What are your questions?
Alice [email protected]@StratChick919.834.2552 ext. 17