Content Strategy Articles & Videos

  • Plain Language for Everyone, Even Experts

    In our usability study with domain experts, we discovered that even highly educated readers crave succinct information that is easy to scan, just like everyone else.

  • The Talking-Head Video 2.0: Findings from Eyetracking Research

    Even a talking-head video can keep people engaged. Take advantage of residual fixations upon scene changes; vary the facial expression, subject position, and even camera angle to reawaken the user’s attention.

  • Anchors OK? Re-Assessing In-Page Links

    While jump links have caused problems in the past, they can successfully be used to move users down long pages and directly to content, on any screen size.

  • Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts

    These tips for writing web content for specialized audiences will help you sound authoritative and bolster your credibility. Professionals want content that is easy to scan, factual, and verifiable.

  • Why Is Stakeholder Buy-In Important for UX?

    Catherine Toole (@catherinetoole) the founder of digital content agency Sticky Content, explains the importance of building mutually supportive relationships with your stakeholders.

  • Microcontent: A Few Small Words Have a Mega Impact on Business

    Well-written, short text fragments presented out of supporting context can provide valuable information and nudge web users toward a desired action.

  • Content Strategy vs. Content Tactics

    Content strategy addresses high-level goals, not just tactical implementation, according to Catherine Toole (@catherinetoole), founder of digital content agency Sticky Content.

  • Reading Content on Mobile Devices

    Readers can understand short, simple text content on mobile devices just as well as on computers, but they slow down when reading difficult text on mobile.

  • Top 10 Enduring Web-Design Mistakes

    A large-scale usability study revealed the most common and damaging web-design mistakes of today. They aren't surprising or new - they're enduring issues that continue to hurt website usability.

  • International B2B Audiences: Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Site for Global Users

    International B2B sites should demonstrate regional presence, adapt to local conventions, and ensure that localized sites are consistent with a main site.

  • The Impact of Tone of Voice on Users' Brand Perception

    Different tones of voice have measurable impacts on users’ perceptions of a brand’s friendliness, trustworthiness, and desirability. Casual, conversational, and enthusiastic tones performed best.

  • The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice

    A product's tone of voice communicates how an organization feels about its message. The tone of any piece of content can be analyzed along 4 dimensions: humor, formality, respectfulness, and enthusiasm.

  • 3 Ways to Inspire Intranet Content Authors

    Organizational, group and individual support for content creators is necessary to encourage and create strong intranet content.

  • What Spoilers Teach Us About Designing for Different User Tasks

    Designers must aim to understand and accommodate different user goals. When accommodations aren’t feasible, choose designs that support the most common user scenarios. For example, subscribers to online TV streaming services have different viewing preferences, and designs need to take those into consideration.

  • Which Comes First? Layout or Content?

    Avoid awkward and difficult page layouts by fitting flexible templates to content whenever possible. Test often during design, and plan to scale up.

  • When to Hide Content Behind Forms and When to Give Content Away

    Understand your users’ intents and stage in the sales funnel before you gate content.

  • Content Migration Alone Is Not An Effective Content Strategy

    While fairly popular, “lift and shift” is not a viable content strategy. It is a folly fueled by fear, limited resources, inexperience, and politics. There are better ways to ensure high-quality intranet content, and two award-winning designers offer their insights, proving that a bright attitude makes all the difference.

  • An FAQ’s User Experience Deconstructed

    Good FAQ pages use legible typography, chunking, appropriate spacing, easy navigation to individual questions, and reflect the current questions of the site users.

  • FAQs Still Deliver Great Value

    A usable website FAQ can improve products, services, information, and user experience as part of your knowledge management process.

  • Related Content Boosts Pageviews, When Done Right

    Links that follow up on the user’s current interest encourage site exploration and reduce bounce rates. With the proper invitation, people will stay longer on your site.