by Michelle Furedy on October 12, 2012
Clarity and simplicity are key principles in design but when it comes to copy those principles are often thrown out the window. Here are 10 issues I consistently see with user interface (UI) copy and what to do about them.
1. Inconsistent capitalization and punctuation
There are actually many ways to correctly capitalize and punctuate sentences but instead of worrying about being right, focus on being consistent. Every time you change the way you punctuate or capitalize a sentence it throws the user off track. Pick a style and stick to it. Hint: having an informal style guide helps if you have multiple people working on a project. A simple shared Word doc will do. [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on August 8, 2012
Many people think of design and copy as separate processes but actually they can (and must) work together to convey a compelling message. Too often, the design is created with no text or gasp! lorem ipsum and then it’s up to the writer to come up with the clever copy.
When you’re working on an ad, marketing piece, or even a blog post, try to think of the words and visuals as telling different parts of the whole story. I’ve scanned a few images from the The History of Advertising to show you what can happen when design and copy play well together. [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on May 10, 2012
Last week, I attended the GeekWire Seattle 2.0 Startup Awards and heard an engaging speech by PopCap Games Co-founder John Vechey. No, it wasn’t about how to fund your startup or how to attract A-list employees. Of all things, it was about listening. Specifically, how listening helps you make better decisions and cultivates better relationships with others. [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on April 16, 2012
Recently, I began taking improv classes at Jet City Improv and as expected, it’s been helping me think on my feet. But one benefit that I didn’t expect was learning more about storytelling. Storytelling is incredibly useful for Internet marketing and I even wrote about it in my SXSW post but this approach to storytelling is one I hadn’t come across yet. It’s called the “7 steps of storytelling.” [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on March 17, 2012
As I sit here watching the snow fall (Snow!! In March!!), I think back to the perfect 70 degree weather and all the great ideas I left behind. While at SXSWi, I fit in a good mix of talks, parties, and general hangingoutness. Obviously, I only saw a small fraction of the talks but there were a few themes that seemed relevant to the year ahead. [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on December 19, 2011
I admit it. I’m obsessed with getting as much done in a day as I possibly can. Let me rephrase that, I want to get as many important things done in a day as I possibly can. I mean, I’m good at crossing tasks off my to-do list, but I often leave the most important items left undone.
I tried Getting Things Done (GTD) for a while but got bogged down in the overly-complicated system. So far, what works best for me is Do it Tomorrow. Out of all the time management tips in this book, the concept of closed lists helps me the most. [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on September 21, 2011
“Microstyle is a guide to verbal strategies that make very short messages effective, interesting, and memorable.”
-Christopher Johnson aka the Name Inspector.
In other words, if you can master microstyle, it’ll be that much easier to dream up a meaningful company name, a memorable domain name, or a creative Facebook post. [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on June 12, 2011
It seems everyone is talking about games these days and how you can apply game play to the real world. Jane McGonigal has high hopes for the future of gaming. Her goal for the next decade is to make it as easy to save the world in real life as it is in games.
I recently watched her SXSW presentation and TED talk and learned a few differences between the game world and the real world: [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on April 27, 2011
“Let’s touch base to discuss the impact of the latest email blast. We can pick the low-hanging fruit and synergize a solution for our users.”
What just happened there?
It’s easy to use too many buzzwords. You start off using jargon occasionally but pretty soon you’re using so many buzzwords that your sentences don’t make any sense at all.
Why use cringe-worthy phrases when there are much simpler ways to express a concept? Are you guilty of using these meaningless buzzwords? [Read More…]
by Michelle Furedy on April 10, 2011
“That’s a lot of words.”
“This is going to be complicated.”
That’s what a couple of 4th graders said when Planet Money asked them to read a privacy notice for a credit card company. In their recent podcast, Planet Money tried to find out why financial agreements are getting more and more complicated and what’s being done about it. They interviewed Susan Kleimann, a consultant who’s helping companies simplify their financial agreements. [Read More…]
