Information & User Experience: Language & Content Make or Break UX
Written by Sophia Marx on December 30, 2016The language on the TurboTax website was reassuring to me. I felt a connection. Like I could trust Intuit. Language in a user interface is important to make users feel comfortable, confident, and successful.
The Help Files: You’ve Been Laid Off. Bah Humbug!
Written by Craig Cardimon on December 22, 2016You all know about the late afternoon shoulder-tap, right? It usually arrives after you have recovered from lunch, but before you can start getting ready to leave for the day. Your boss comes over to you, taps you on the shoulder, and says something like, “Gotta minute?”
LavaCon 2016 Summary: Creating Content Bits that Connect with Users
Written by Lois R Patterson on December 14, 2016In general, if the microcopy helps the user feel that he or she has not made an irrevocable, high-stakes decision, the user is more likely to proceed.
Touching the Third Rail: Politics and TECHWR-L (the email list)
Written by Dan Goldstein on December 12, 2016Staying on an e-mail list isn’t some kind of middle-school, punch-the-arm game to see who’s the toughest, and someone who’s a world apart from me politically might be invaluable to me technically.
Users’ Advocate: Users Are Stupid…Or Not
Written by Phil Davis on December 5, 2016Users are stupid. They refuse to invest even the tiniest effort to educate themselves. Sometimes, users are so stupid that they act contrary to their own self-interest, sometimes in spectacularly dangerous ways… Sound familiar?
The Help Files: Need Extra Cash for the Holidays (who doesn’t)? Try a Side Gig
Written by Craig Cardimon on November 29, 2016Side gigs not only allow you to cushion your bank account throughout the year, but they can also give your personality a chance to shine through.
Making a Career in Professional Writing: Fast 5 Interview with NAU
Written by Connie Giordano on November 18, 2016Balancing the need for expertise with the ability to communicate, remains the goal for professional writers such as technical writers. Programs like NAU allow current and future professional writers to create a path of study that supports and extends that balance.
Structured Writing Algorithms in the Publishing Process
Written by Mark Baker on October 25, 2016All structured writing must eventually be published. Publishing structured content mean transforming it from the domain in which it was created (subject domain, document domain, or the abstract end of the media domain) to the most concrete end of the m …
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