Sometimes a paragraph can fix a wireframe
Rarely can a wireframe fix a paragraph.
Keep instructions short
Really short. Longer instructions actually make a task harder.
Make beginner mode dominant
We often have to consider two types of users: the ones who know what they want, and the ones who don’t. Let’s call them experts and beginners. The nice thing about experts is that they tend to go looking for expert mode and are usually good at finding it. Beginners need to have their hands held. So if you’re torn between which mode to make dominant, make beginner mode dominant. Experts are far more likely to be able to find a tiny button that toggles their preferred mode.
Use specifics
Avoid illusory conjunctions. Also, make your work fucking come alive.
Avoid blind mimicry
According to current science, many of our actions as human beings probably come from the influence of mirror neurons blindly twitching up a froth of empathy for everything around us, making us feel sad when our friends feel sad, and write idiotically long content simply because the competitors did it too.
Mirror neurons are dumb tiny chunks of meat. Don’t be meat.
More syllables do not equal better syllables
It may be tempting to use the more official-sounding versions of words, but please try to remember how much of a pain in the ass official-sounding content is to read. (Oh sorry, “interpolate.” ) If you use uncommon words, do it for clarity, not because it makes your content sound “official”.
A website is a machine
The user is the force that, when applied, triggers the machine to perform an action. In that respect the user is to a website as wind is to a windmill, or electricity to a lightbulb.
Use “We”
Messaging that comes from a group of people (for example: every organization in the word) should always be written in the first person plural. It’s why the first person plural was invented. Even the Borg use it.
Use eigencontent to quickly iterate content systems
Eigencontent is a set of small content-like bits that represent real content. (It comes from the term “eigenvalue” for you math geeks.) You can make an eigencontent by identifying the real information conveyed and/or function of a content item. For instance, if I have a page on a website that goes on and on about the pros, cons and history of grape popsicles, and has a form where a user can order a grape popsicle, the first eigencontent would be “education about grape popsicles” and the second eigencontent would be “grape popsicle order form”. If you’re working on a finer level of detail, you might use “grape popsicles turn your tongue purple” and a set of other succinct versions of the facts that need to be conveyed. Go for the simplest, smallest unit you need, so you can build a big eigencontent map and move everything around easily to see what your larger content system should be like.
“Because it’s boilerplate” is not a reason
Reasons are things like “because it makes us money”, “because we’ll get sued if we don’t” and “because dinosaurs”. Boilerplate is not one of those things.
