What is Content (or Information) Design?

Content design is a field that focuses on the content—the "text" (hypertext, visuals, language, etc.)—and its effective presentation to the audience. The audience (users, readers, visitors) expect certain elements and styles for documents, and the creator of the text needs to design documents to meet those expectations. Content design has also been called "technical writing," "technical communication design," "content design," "writing for the Web," and a variety of other terms. But these terms can have various meanings, each depending on the person using the term, and the field has changed as technology has changed.

Content design includes how to

• create navigation so the reader can find information
• persuade a reader to believe that the content is credible and valuable
• organize the document to meet the audience's reading patterns
• maintain the reader's attention
• increase SEO
• link effectively
• use language to clearly and concisely communicate
• integrate design elements (e.g., bullets, rules, white space, new paragraphs) to make information scannable
• present visual information in a document
• cite sources for information
• build the reader's trust

The designer also needs to consider the audience, the purpose of the document, and the constraints that go with document, as outlined in Lloyd Bitzer's 1969 article, "The Rhetorical Situation."


What can you expect from a blog about information design?
As your read this blog, you will learn the how and why to questions in this list as well as other skills that will enable you to meet your readers' needs and expectations. You will be able to use the information in this blog to improve your communication skills, your credibility, your professionalism, and your writing.

Why is content design an important topic for this blog?
Students coming into my class frequently state, "I don't know what 'content design' is," so they are unsure what to expect in a class that focuses on content design. Design is a topic these students know; they are artists, modelers, animators, and (thus) designers. But they are unsure how information relates to design.

Content design is imperative to creative effective digital documents. Documents that have audience-focused language that is clear, concise, and scannable are relevant for readers. Readers want to find information quickly and move on, and they will spend their time on documents (such as Web pages and emails) that are well written. Readers also need visual elements to be well designed with legends, scales, and colors so they can easily read and understand the visual aids.

What resources will this blog present?
This blog contains information that from "Digital Content Design and Usability"—an upper-level (junior) communication class at The University of Texas at Dallas. The class instructs art and technology (ATEC) students to better design information and present it effectively.

What is Navigation?

We are always try to "find our way"—when we travel, when we work, when we read. Life is a journey, and navigation is an important part of every element of that journey. But what is navigation and how do you apply that to information design?

Navigating through the Pearl Harbor Ship Channel

When I was a teenager, my family lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a family friend (Dale) invited me one day to go sailing with him and his son. We rented a small sailboat, and we met at the marina at Hickam Air Force Base to take the sailboat out through the mouth of the marina—between the flightline (which ran out into the ocean) and the entrance to Pearl Harbor ship channel—and then out into the Pacific Ocean.

As we began to sail out of the marina, Dale pointed out the buoys that were floating nearby and explained that, while we might not see how deep the water was, we would sail between the buoys to ensure that we could get out to the ocean. The buoys served to help us navigate our way through to know where the waterway was deep enough for a boat to go.

Pearl Harbor's ship channel has  concrete blocks on either side of the channel. I'm not sure why, but in some places, you can step out on those concrete blocks to get right up to the water when the tide is out. If we had wandered outside the navigated path and tide had been out, we might have scraped the bottom of the boat on the concrete blocks that surrounded that path and thus damaged our boat.

Navigating through a Document

Just as we navigated through the marina, your readers will need to navigate through your document. And effective information design considers the reader's "navigation." Your reader may be searching for specific information—e.g., a link, a source, a heading—and you as a writer want to be able to enable the reader to find that information.

For example, when you write a report, you provide your reader with a table of contents and you label each page after the first with numbers. Then, readers who are looking for information can go through the table of contents, identify the location for that information, and find the page on which that information exists.

On your resume, you will provide your reader with conventional headings that will help a reader locate specific information. You may label sections with "Experience" or "Education" or "Skills" to help the reader find that information more easily.

If you are writing a virtual document, you will also provide navigation. For example, if you are writing a blog, you will provide your readers with a list of archived posts (preferably by title rather than by date) so your readers can locate a post by the information they are seeking.

Navigation is central in information design, and to effectively plan your navigation you must focus on your user's needs and consider how the user will use the document. (Planning is part of the writing process, and you can consider navigation during the early stages of the process to improve your document's effectiveness.) To successfully plan and navigate a document, consider what conventional elements your reader expects and how your reader will work through the document. Make navigation a priority, particularly if you want to create a user-centered design.

What is the Writing Process [Infographic]?

I addressed the writing process in a previous post on this blog. However, some people better learn from visual representation of a process, so I have created an infographic about the writing process.

What are Conventional Elements of a Document?

When you write documents, your audience expects certain parts of that document—such as a signature on a letter—and you must, as the writer, provide those "conventional elements"—those elements that the reader expects.

What is a document? Traditionally, documents were considered printed text and images; however, today, documents include any type of text, which includes print text, hypertext (or digital text), code, videos, and audio recordings. Think outside the box when you define "document," because today, a document can include

• books and reports,
• e-mails,
• letters,
• resumes,
• voicemail messages, and
• texts.

Because documents are diverse—e.g., each in its audience, genre, purpose, means of delivery—each document has its own conventional elements.

Conventional elements and the audience's expectations

In information design, you need to consider what conventional elements will your audience expect. When you create a Web site, your audience may expect a "search" window and button at the top right of the page or a Web master link at the bottom. For a blog, your audience may expect tags, a date, and a list of archived articles to browse. Audience members may also expect comment windows and thus the ability to interact with the designer. If you creating a podcast, your audience will expect a title and introduction of the speaker and/or subject matter.

Each document has conventional elements—elements that the audience expects—and the designer is responsible to provide what audience members need and want.

Books, manuals, and reports

In a larger, bound publication, readers expect

• a cover,
• a title page,
• a table of contents, and
• the body of the text.

The purpose of the document determines the conventional elements. For example, a novel will not need an index, lists of tables and figures, and other elements that navigate to specific information; instead, the novel should be read in a linear fashion. However, an informational book, manual, or report should allow the reader to more easily navigate—to identify the specific location of information within the document. Thus, an informational document will include lists of visuals—figures and tables—as well as an index and appendixes (supplemental information that the reader might want and that is added at the end of the document).

E-mails

When we read e-mails, we anticipate that before we open the document, we will know who sent the e-mail and what it references. Therefore, the e-mail should include the sender's e-mail address and a descriptive subject line. While these elements are informative, they also relate to security and enable the recipient to know what the e-mail contains, which helps to prevent the spread of viruses that can damage hardware and software.

Letters

Letters are a more formal communication medium than e-mail or memorandums. Traditionally, letters were the most favored form of communication, and historians maintain the letters of many great communicators and historic figures. Letters are still important and relevant today because they provide a formal documentation of the information you are sharing.

Letters should include

• your mailing address, because letters are typically sent via U.S. Postal Service;
• the date that you print the document—to inform the recipient of the timeliness of the letter;
• the recipient's name, position, and mailing address;
• a salutation (greeting);
• a introductory summary to inform the recipient of the letter's contents;
• a concluding summary to reiterate the purpose of the letter and your request for action—and include contact information (phone and e-mail) so the recipient can more easily access how to contact you; and
• a signature block.

Resumes

Resumes are perhaps the most important document that you will write because you won't get an interview if you do not write a strong resume and cover letter!

Resumes come in a variety of forms, including digital and video. But every professional needs a well-designed print resume, and that resume must include information (in varying orders and formats) about

• your name (so potential employers will remember your name),
• your contact information (so they can contact you for an interview),
• your work history with dates and locations,
• your education with dates and an emphasis on your degree (not the university), and
• skills that make you a strong candidate for the job for which you are applying.

Voicemail messages

When leaving voicemail, you should always first clearly state your name so the recipient of your message knows from whom the message comes. Also, finish all voicemails with a telephone number so the recipient can act on your message and return your telephone call. Although telephones have caller identification today, some business hardware does not allow the recipient to record the call or identify which telephone number goes with which message.

Texts

When sending a text, you should always begin with a brief introduction—your name and your relationship with the recipient—unless you know that the recipient has saved your name and telephone number to her phone. You should also consider a text as a concise mode of communication, so include a closing or a call to action but use full language rather than "text-ese."

Why is Consistency Important in Information Design?

When presenting information, you as a designer need to ensure that you are consistent in how you present your text. For example, you must be consistent in

• vocabulary and form of words,
• tone,
• format, and
• tense.

Consistency creates a professionalism on your document that shows that you have put thought into your work, that you know how to present the information, and that you pay attention to detail.

Vocabulary and Form of Words

Use consistent vocabulary—strong, accurate, definitive terms—in informative or instructional text so your readers know what to expect and are not guessing about a term. Too many synonyms can confuse your reader, and sometimes, synonyms are similar but not exact. Also, when using synonyms, you may run out of strong words and use trite synonyms—nice, great, strong, etc.—which damage your credibility through nonspecific language. Using synonyms also complicates your ability to apply an old/new pattern, which improves the flow of your narrative by creating natural transitions between sentences. (I address the old/new pattern in a previous blog post.)

Frequently, my students complain that using consistent vocabulary—using a term over and over in the text—sounds redundant and immature, as if the writer has a limited vocabulary. They may use pronouns (and sometimes, they create modifier issues by using vague or misplaced pronouns) in lieu of a term to create variance in the text. Variance is acceptable, but you must ensure that the reader can follow your thought process, and consistency in your vocabulary will help your reader.

Tone

Use a consistent tone in your text to present yourself professionally and to not distract your reader. If you begin with a formal tone, using technical words and a professional tone, and then change your tone or add "noise"—unanticipated humor, informal language, slang, inappropriate content (like a story in the middle of instructions—you damage your credibility and confuse your reader.

Format

Use a consistent format when presenting your information. Format is focused more on design elements—e.g., font type, size, bold/italics, and inclusion of rules under headings—but format helps the reader to navigate through the document, understand the hierarchy of the text (e.g., headings versus subheadings), and find information faster. Consistent format allows the reader to understand your organization and also makes your document appear more credible and professional. Have you ever seen a Web page that had headings in different colors or sizes? And if you noticed the inconsistency, did you create an opinion about the page or the writer? Format needs to be consistent (and aesthetically pleasing, a discussion beyond the scope of this post) so the reader can focus on what you are saying rather than on apparent errors in your format.

(For consistent format, use a cascading style sheet for Web pages or a template for your blog. You can also create a style sheet in Microsoft Word. These style sheets allow you to apply a previously established format rather than guessing each time you need to format text, an image, a caption, or another element of your document.)

Tense

Consistency in tense is necessary to accurately communicate when an action has happened, is happening, or will happen. Thus, consistent tenses affect the information that you share with your reader. American's struggle with verb tenses, probably because writers do not understand them. My students tell me that they get confused when we begin to talk about imperfect, conditional, perfect, past, present, future,... and they confuse "voice" with "tense."

Tense is related to time, so set your mind on a time and be consistent in presenting that time. APA style recommends that reference to authors is always in past tense because the writer has already published the intellectual property we are referencing. Keeping that in mind has helped me to use tense more consistently in my writing.

Also, focusing on the purpose of a particular part of a document—e.g., future for a timeline in a proposal, past in the reporting of a progress report, present in discussing opinion in a blog post—can help you keep your tense consistent.

Why are Style Guides SO Important?

A style guide is a document that you, the author, create to ensure that you are consistent throughout a document.

Needing a style guide

The document is organic—i.e., you add to it each time you identify an element in your document—a word, a source, a process, a design element, a format standard—that you will use later in the document and that you need to present consistently. For example, if you are writing about information design, do you write

• Web site,
• Website,
• website, or
• web site?

(As a medical writer, I often need to identify if the document I am writing refers to "health care" or "healthcare.")

Choosing a standard

Frequently, you think you will be consistent, but in different settings with different sources, you may change your style or begin to question what standard you were following. And you do not want to constantly go through the text to find certain standards so you can be consistent. A style guide helps you maintain that consistency by providing you with an offline document that you can reference for your established standards. The style guide becomes even more important if you are collaborating and need to provide the standards to other writers.

College students already know MLA

My students question me when I assign a style guide, but most of them have only been exposed to MLA style (through high school classes or freshman rhetoric), so they do not understand the need for a style guide or the uses of a style guide.

Once they begin to create their own documents—and I assign a 12-post blog for my information design class—they realize that being consistent is not always as easy as it sounds. Therefore, they create a style guide that enables me to know their personal style standards so I can reference their guides when I grade. I particularly need this to know how they are citing sources in their blogs, because I allow them to create their own citation styles.

Students need to learn other styles

Some of them choose to use APA or Wikipedia's style, but some create their own styles, and the style guide informs me of what standard the student has established.

In class, we use APA for citations, and we consider other documents (specifically Web sites and blogs) to analyze the designers' consistency. By using APA, the students learn to visit an already established style guide and apply the standards, paying attention to details and formatting per the prescribed guide.

In my engineering class, students use IEEE because the style is relevant to what they will use in the workplace and when they publish their findings. IEEE's style guide has numerous versions and contains inconsistencies, so students are instructed to choose a standard and use it throughout their documents. They are also taught how to work through the citation process as they write a collaborative research paper so they can accurately cite sources that another writer has referenced.

I use a style guide as the editorial assistant for Technical Communication Quarterly. We publish the style guide online so authors can reference the guide, but my job is to know the style guide and apply it to all articles before we publish. I have also used style guides when I have edited larger works, like medical textbooks.

Style guides help us be consistent

Style guides help us to be consistent, which helps our readers (We do not distract or confuse them.) and also helps us to present ourselves professionally, showing that we are attentive to detail.

Justification: Why Do We Study Information Design and Usability?

As we produce information for the Web, our primary goal should be to inform our audience—those who will access our hypertext. Thus, we study information design so we can effectively provide that information and thus meet the needs and expectations of the readers who will visit our online texts.

This blog is a collection of general information about topics that I discuss with my undergraduate students.

What is Information Design?

Information design include a variety of topics, many of which I will discuss as I work through this blog. These topics include

• researching to ensure accuracy of the information and credibility of the writer;
• applying style principles and mechanics rules to ensure that the language is correct as well as clear and concise;
• formatting text so the reader can navigate the page and find information;
• organizing information in an inverted pyramid so the most important information is provided at the beginning of the page;
• writing effective headings and subheadings to direct the reader;
• integrating design principles that are not distracting or irritating;
• considering search engine optimization—e.g., keywords, links and backlinks, analytics, metatags—to improve access to the source;
• ethically and legally presenting information and so citing sources to give credit to the owners of intellectual property and acknowledging copyright; and
• providing the reader with information and keeping the reader's attention.

The first and most important principle of information design is to remember:

It's Not about You!

As "information designers," we must remember that everything we do needs to center on someone else: our reader. We must present text that interests the reader and in such a way that we maintain the reader's attention and communicate effectively to that person.

Thus, we also study usability. Usability is not the user's ability to use something but rather how the user uses the product. Thus, when we research usability, we observe how the user accomplishes a task but we also note what unanticipated actions or uses that user may expose in using the product. In other words, we watch and learn from what the user does.

In future posts, I will write more about these topics.