What have we learned about information design in white papers?

What have we learned about information design in white papers?

Not too long ago, I concluded that we need some research on white papers if we want to offer evidence-based guidance for their writers. (You can get some background with my summary of the available evidence on writing white papers and more about what experts say about developing content for white papers.)  We — that’s Dr. Jefrey Naidoo and me…

Think long-term and be kind to readers with well-formatted documents
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Think long-term and be kind to readers with well-formatted documents

It’s something of a paradox. But the space you leave blank in your documents matters.  Compare these two forms discussed in an article about the importance of white space by the Nielsen Norman Group. (They help clients make users of their websites, applications, and products happier.) As the article says, The recreated Walgreens.com registration form (right) is…

If content is king, then usability is queen

If content is king, then usability is queen

You’ve heard me say how important reader testing is when you truly care about meeting the needs of your audience. The Before and After Gallery hosted by the DigitalGov User Experience Program provides some terrific examples. [6/16/14 Update: examples appear to have moved to Government Usability Case Studies.] After watching some representative readers use the Fueleconomy.gov Mobile…

The case for evidence-based plain language

The case for evidence-based plain language

Today I’m sharing a recording of “Plain by Design: Evidence-based Plain Language,” the talk given by Karen Schriver at PLAIN2013. PLAIN is one of the international organizations working to promote quality workplace writing. There is a short bio on the conference website if you’re unfamiliar with Karen’s work. We share the same philosophy: better workplace writing through guidelines…

Unexpected results of research on format and parallelism
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Unexpected results of research on format and parallelism

I regularly advise writers to use grammatical parallelism and visual formatting to influence document quality. (Use the links if you don’t know what I mean.) But I saw some evidence presented by colleagues at a recent conference that led me to refine that advice. Here’s the bottom line for those who don’t want the details: Use…

What do your format choices mean to readers?
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What do your format choices mean to readers?

Hyunjin Song and Norbert Schwarz summarize the implications of some recent psychological research on format this way: Any variable that facilitates or impairs fluent information processing can profoundly affect people’s judgements and decisions. [Writers] are therefore well advised to present information in a form that facilitates easy processing: if it’s easy to read, it seems easy to do,…

Want satisfied workplace readers? Give them an efficient reading experience
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Want satisfied workplace readers? Give them an efficient reading experience

Efficiency. One of the greatest challenges for amateur workplace writers, who have not yet wrapped their heads around the fact that their colleagues do not read like  teachers do. I’ve made the point many times that teachers are obligated to read their students’ documents thoughtfully. And that workplace readers actually read the same way writers…

Looking for help with the slides for your presentation?
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Looking for help with the slides for your presentation?

Rule #1 from 7 Lessons from the World’s Most Captivating Presenters: Start with paper, not PowerPoint I couldn’t agree more. I’ve mentioned my colleague, Jean-luc Doumont, when offering help to those of you writing slides for a presentation. Jean-luc taught me that if you can’t make good visuals, you shouldn’t create them. Concentrate on developing content…