Writing for the Web and Effective Web DesignIEEE Panel of Conference Organizers26 July 2008Seattle, WA

A Little Bit About MyselfDan BocchinoWeb Content and Information Architecture Manager, IEEE Corporate Strategy and Communications (CSC)B.A./M.A. in English/Writing Studies9 years experience at IEEE (Publications and CSC)Web Editor, Writer, Information Architect

The UniverseThe UserIEEEIEEE

From the mouths of our usersGetting to information does not appear to be the main focus. Not really built to be a site for the general public. I would expect that the IEEE would be at the top of the game, because thats what we do. It appears that either I dont think the way it does, or its not friendly to me.Seems like information for members of IEEE, not a resource for technicians.Too much information too busy. Need to get more organized. Too many words.There are more steps than you need.

So what?

IEEE.org IEEE SocietiesIEEE XploreIEEE SectionsIEEE Student BranchesIEEE ConferencesIEEE Job SiteIEEE Spectrum

WikipediaSecond LifeYou TubeAboutConferencesEducationMembershipStandards and moreThe IEEE Web Presence

Our 1st SiteThe problem

1999The problem

2002The problem

Today

How many Web sites are on the ieee.org domain?1

One Web site One VoiceThere is only one Web site on the ieee.org domain.

Within that Web site, there are: sections;subsections;pages;content elements.

sectionsubsection pagecontent element

Web site PurposeTo help visitors to the site accomplish their tasks

To help the organization achieve its strategic goals New membersConference attendeesRevenue, etc.

UsabilityThe ease with which people can employ a tool or object in order to achieve a particular goal. Sites designed with the users' psychology and physiology in mind are highly usable: Takes less time for users to accomplish a particular taskEasier for users to learnMore satisfying to use How do we measure usability?

Usability ReviewUsable Times 5 is the proprietary metric of Interface Guru, based on hundreds of hours of usability lab testing

Orientation Where am I?

Permission Did I ask for that system response/popup/new screen?

Interactivity What can I do here?

Relevance Does this information matter to me?

Speed How long will this take?What can I do here?

What is User Experience?

How do I create Web content?How long does it take?It dependsDo you want good content or bad content?Remember: A Web site is a publicationNot a junkyard

Variables in estimating time:Amount of contentComplexity of contentFunctionality requirementsScheduling & planningPreparationHuman resources

Many steps to creating contentDefining your Strategy-Objectives-Users-User needsDefining the scope-Functionality and content requirements-Prioritizing the requirementsDefining the structure-Understanding & creating task paths-Planning your directory structure and information architectureDefining your Skeleton-WireframingAnd thats all before you even start to write your content

Killer Web ContentBy: Gerry McGovern

Killer content vs. filler content90% of all content produced is filler.

Focus on quality not quantity.

Your challenge will be at least 50% easier if you get rid of 80-90% of your content.

Everything you publish, needs to be maintained

Killer Web Contents Six Cs

Who Cares?People are overloaded with informationThey wont waste time reading content they dont care aboutDont assume that because you care, your readers will tooThink before you write will my readers care about this?

Is it Compelling?People may care, but are they paying attention?You need to identify with your readersUse your users words, not internal lingo or acronymstalk to them, read their e-mails, use Google Trends

Is it Clear?Be simple when you write if your content is not clear, you will lose readers.All acronyms should be spelled out upon first useContent should be internationally friendlyPeople on your Web pages are scanning make it easy for them to find what they want.An innovation must be truly useful, otherwise its just eye candy.

Is it Complete?Essence of any site is to help people complete a task If a call to action is made, be clear what steps should be takenWrite great links to keep your readers moving from step to step so they can complete their tasks

Is it Concise?Your Web site is not a murder mystery.

Tell them who did it in the first paragraph.Help people quickly understand your content.Use bullets instead of paragraphs when possible.

Is it Correct?Its easy to pull together content from other sources.Editing is quality control for writing. Check your facts, verify your numbers, make sure the content you provide is up-to-date.

Web Writing vs. Print WritingWhen developing new Web content, you cannot simply migrate your old print content. Developing Web content often means writing completely new material.

Know Your AudienceWeb readers generally do not read a page from start to finish.They scan sites for relevant information.

Dont overload your readers with too much content, or else youll lose them.Word count for the Web should be about half of that for print.

Six Elements of Good Web WritingUse titles, headings, subheadings, and summaries.Use lists.Be concise but make sure to provide details.Write newspaper style.Write links that dont have to be followed.Provide guidance on where to go/know your audience and its needs.

Titles, Headings, and SummariesTitles and headings (often in bold) help your readers see your point without having to read the entire page.Summaries should alert your readers to the type of information and where it can be found.Be specific when creating titles; no two pages should be titled alike.

Using ListsMake sure your lists: are easy to skim;utilize short lines of text;organize related links;use proper punctuation;make sense contextually.

Be Concise but DetailedMake your writing short and concise save the details for those who want to learn more.Dont slow down the readers who just want to skim.One main point per paragraph/section.Links to more details as needed.

Write Newspaper StyleUse the inverted pyramid style when writing for the Web.Basic facts and conclusion should come first.Provide more details as you continue.Write your beginning last; details first, then intro.

Links Shouldnt Have to be Followed to be UnderstoodLet your readers decide whether or not to follow your links.Links serve as signposts; make your links informational.Avoid teaser links with vague wording.Example:Connect with your local IEEE sectionnot Click here for more information.

Guide Your ReadersWeb content has no page numbers show your reader where to go next.Provide guidance using links.Write in a style that leads your reader to the next logical page.Dont make your readers think.

Web Accessibility

http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/glance/Ongoing process to make sure all sites in the IEEE Web presence adhere to accessibility rulesAlt textUse of tableLogical IAUsability tested

Web Writing and Usability Resources

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox To subscribe, send blank e-mail to join-alertbox@laser.sparklist.com Gerry McGovern New Thinking Newsletter To subscribe, send e-mail to: subscribe@gerrymcgovern.mailer1.net Adaptive Path Newsletter Subscribe at:www.adaptivepath.com/publications/subscribe/ Jared Spool's User Interface Engineering Tips Sign up at: www.uie.com/uietips/ Web Style Guide, 2nd Edition, by Patrick Lynch and Sarah Horton: http://webstyleguide.com/ Usable Web, 786 Links About Web Usability: www.usableweb.com/ Usability.gov, Guide for Developing Usable and Useful Web Sites: www.usability.gov/

IEEE Identity StandardsNewly developed set of guidelines.Use of the standards is encouraged to help build consistent visual alignment among IEEE-related sites.Brand identity guidelines, color palette, look and feel, best practices, etc.Online soon, contact me for more information.

IEEE Web Presence Style Guidehttp://www.ieee.org/go/web_presence_styleguide

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?

Thank You!Dan Bocchinod.bocchino@ieee.org

**Defining the structureUnderstanding & creating task pathsHow to plan your directory structure and information architectureDefining the SkeletonWireframeHow to properly name your files and directoriesLowercaseMeaningfulShortSpecificDont repeat folder name*A web manager was asked what percentage of people were coming to the public Web site to view what percentage of the pages. The person said 100 pages of 2,000 pages represented about 80 percent of the visitors. And 200 pages represented 89 percent of the visitors. So 5 percent of the content was getting 80 percent of the visits. This was 5 percent was getting 80 percent and 10 percent of the pages were actually getting almost 90 percent of the visitors.