Content Design

This week was all about content design. Well-written and well-presented content is very important as 95% of the web is made up of written language.

Some examples we were given of websites that are great with content include mail chimp, hiut denim, and gov.uk. When looking at these sites, I noticed simplicity and a focus on user needs. For example, on the hiut denim website, they use simple language so it’s easy to understand and short pieces of text, so users aren’t bombarded with unnecessary information. I also like their typography choice as it’s easy to read, consistent and matches their tone of voice. Overall, it is very considered in terms of content, and this is something I need to think about with my projects.

As I mentioned, we looked at the government website and how they present their content. These are some things I can learn from their website:

• Starts with needs
• Do less: This means making components that are reusable and sharable.
• Design with data
• Iterate. Then iterate again
• Build for inclusion: This means making everything accessible. For example, choosing typography that makes reading easier for those with dyslexia. Another example would be adding alternative text to images.
• Understand context: This includes thinking about how and when your users are using your product. For example, are they using it on the go?
• Build digital services, not websites. You need to make sure you are enabling users to complete tasks as easy and enjoyable as possible.
• Be consistent, not uniform: As always, it’s important to be consistent in terms of typography, layout, etc.
• Make things open: It makes things better.

Touchpoints

We then looked at the different touchpoints of Amazon, McDonald’s, and ulster university. You can see what we came up with below:

The most common touchpoints were websites, apps, social media, and staff. These can all be as important as each other. For example, if someone had a bad experience with the staff at McDonald’s, they may not return, or if the same happened at Ulster University, it may discourage them from choosing a course. Another example may be, if someone had a positive user experience with Amazon, they are likely to recommend it to others. This shows me how important it is to make each of these touchpoints positive for people interacting with them.

I then wrote a list of potential touchpoints for my project:

• App (mobile/tablet)
• Website
• Smart/apple watch
• Staff
• Advertisement
• Branding
• Information leaflet
• Other users

The smartwatch is something I want to consider designing for this project. I think it could be valuable as my users will likely need to use the interface when on the go.