Content Usability

Content Usability
All contents © Copyright 2013 Experience Dynamics
1
Content Usability
An Experience Dynamics training
WEB SEMINAR
With Frank Spillers, MS

About Your Speaker
Frank Spillers
Masters Cognitive Science
15 years User Centered Design experience
Founder, Experience Dynamics- leading User Experience consulting
Works with Logitech, Nike, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, HP and more.
2
Works with Logitech, Nike, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, HP and more.

Agenda
On the web, content is the "killer app". Content influences the direction of a user's path, where they go, what
they see and what they decide to do with the experience. Content usability looks at what elements you
should be aware of when designing content for different web contexts: web sites, intranets, portals, web
applications and even mobile devices. We will explore the user's path from findability to content usability and
learn how to write content that is friendly to both users and search bots.
1. Principles of content and usability on the Web
2. The Psychology of Design
3. New data: The role of community and reputation building: User
contributed content
4. Five Golden Keys to Writing for the Web
5. The anonymous user: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) friendly-copy
6. Q & A

Purpose of Content
• Educate
• Inform
• Entertain
• Generate a Response

1. Principles of content and
usability on the Web
usability on the Web

Please Don’t Ever
CLICK HERE
6

Copy Basics
• Skim ability
• Scan ability
• Read ability
• Read ability
Highlight keywords; use bulleted lists; start with the conclusion.

Quiz
• What 3 things increase scan-ability?
• Large font
• Bullets
• Bullets
• Headers
• Main point at top
• Less scrolling
8

9

Writing for the web is different…
• 79% of users scan the page instead of
reading word-for-word
• Reading from computer screens is 25%
slower than from paper (iPad 6%/Kindle
slower than from paper (iPad 6%/Kindle
11% slower)
• Web content should have 50% of the word
count of its paper equivalent

11
Users read ~20% of copy per page.

Print ≠ Electronic
• Font
– Sans Serif (Verdana, Arial)
– 9 pt lowest (12-14 for 60+)
• Contrast
• Contrast
– White on Black
– Light on Dark
• Clutter
– Group meaningfully
– Reduce visual occlusion

Conduct a Content Usability Audit

The Psychology of Design
• Visual System
– Perceptive
– Reactive
Don’t Mis-Match Me!
• Cognitive System
– Interactive
– Reflective
Don’t Mis-Match Me!
Don’t Make Me Think!

16

17

iPad, iPhone influencing Web copy
18

19

Common problems with Content
• Badly written copy
• Segmenting visitors
• Padding it with fluff (“marketese”)
• Padding it with fluff (“marketese”)
• Jargon
• Using offline tactics online (sales letters, ad
copy, brochure-ware)

Quiz- what are characteristics of
badly written?
• Grammar mistakes
• Not connecting with audience
• Nouns
• Nouns
• Tone
• Appropriateness to task
21

BAD EXAMPLE
22

GOOD EXAMPLE
23

And Specifically…
Layout
Proximity of Content to Actions
Semantics
Meaningful, Compelling, Emotional
Scan-ability
Keyword Relevancy
Clarity
Plain-English and User-centric

25

26

Before

After

3. New data: The role of community
and reputation building: User
and reputation building: User
contributed content

UGC is gaining
30

UGC is gaining
31
By 2013, almost 52% of U.S. Internet users will be content creators as well
(eMarketer 2008).

Consumers will not pay for Content
32

4. Five Golden Keys to Writing for
the Web
the Web

5 Golden Keys to Writing for the Web
1. Be powerfully explicit
2. Create emotional impact
3. Write good SEO friendly meta-content
3. Write good SEO friendly meta-content
4. Use Manners for Privacy, Trust, Credibility
5. Align copy with tasks

1. Be powerfully explicit
• Sell with Content
• Clarify value propositions
• Persuade
• Persuade
• Call to action

GOOD
EXAMPLE
36

BAD
EXAMPLE
37

GOOD
EXAMPLE
38

2. Create emotional impact
• Meet and Exceed expectations
• Make tone reliable (partner)
• Generate excitement
• Deliver on the promises

GOOD
EXAMPLE
40

2.1 Create emotional impact

• Title Tag (65 char with spaces) with
30%-70% density
• Meta Description Tag (not Meta
3. Write good SEO friendly
meta-content
• Meta Description Tag (not Meta
Keywords)
• Headings (H1,H2,H3)
• Italics and Strong Tags
• Keyword phrase laden copy

SEO friendly copy
• 1 inter-page link with keyword
phrase (for link juice)
• Use live HTML for important
text, phrases and keywords
text, phrases and keywords
(CSS images/hovers)
• Descriptive ALT tags
• Duplicate navigation links at
bottom of page (if using
images)

• Claim errors (fatal error)
• State privacy policy
• Shorten legal roller coasters
4. Use good manners for
privacy, trust, credibility
• Shorten legal roller coasters
• Open disclosure (shipping)

GOOD
EXAMPLE
48

GOOD
EXAMPLE

• Allow tasks to structure content
• Support user decision making
• Offer related information
5. Align copy with tasks
• Offer related information
• Make call to action (s) clear

GOOD
EXAMPLE
51

BAD
EXAMPLE
54

5. The anonymous user: SEO
(Search Engine Optimization)
(Search Engine Optimization)
friendly-copy

Writing for Google bot
• Focus a page on 1 keyword
phrase
• Use phrase in Title tag
• Keep the entire focus on
the keyword phrase
the keyword phrase
• Use the phrase throughout
body text
• Name pages after keyword
phrases (URL)

Think Like a Machine
• Reads Title Text
• Use H1, H2, H3
• Use Comment Tags
• Reads Top to Bottom
• Reads Left to Right
• Reads Images
• Relevancy to UX (Googlebot agenda)

ALT tags
• Semantically tuned
• No machine descript
• Stuff ‘em within reason

Keyword Research
• Competitor keywords-
what do they use
• Keyword phrases- stick to
a theme
• Keyword Density- 1%-3%
• Keyword Density- 1%-3%
• Keyword Prominence- top
of page; start of sentence

Content Strategies
Finish sentences with keyword phrases.
Source: Karen Thackston

Content Strategies
• Quality Content
• Blogs/ Social (photos/video)
for search ranking
• Keep it fresh (amt
• Keep it fresh (amt
change/often/new
page/importance…) *
• 400+ words min per page =
gets ranked
How Google ranks freshness:
http://moz.com/blog/google-fresh-factor

Use Fat Footers
• Internal
linking
• Long tail SEO
• UX
62
• UX

thank you!
63
thank you!
1-800-978-9183
www.experiencedynamics.com
Frank Spillers, MS
Frank.Spillers@experiencedynamics.com

Content Usability

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (7)

Similar to Content Usability

Similar to Content Usability (20)

More from Experience Dynamics

More from Experience Dynamics (13)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Content Usability