Digital technology for learning (and business promotion)

GEM Freelance Network training day, Foundling Museum7 April 2011

Martin Bazley, Martin Bazley & Associates

Martin BazleyPreviously:

• Teaching (7 yrs)• Science Museum, London,

Internet Projects (7yrs)• E-Learning Officer, MLA South East (3yrs)

Currently• Vice Chair, DLNet (was E-

Learning Group for Museums, Lib, Archives)

• Consultancy, websites, training, user testing, evaluation …Martin Bazley & Associateswww.martinbazley.com

•Slides and notes available afterwards

www.martinbazley.com

Key pointso About creating digital content – ‘writing

for the web’

o Plan, evaluate, do audience research, do user testing

o Make use of freebies and cheapies

Writing for the web

Users don’t always ‘get’ what we are offering:

a real–world analogy

In a conflict between visual affordance…

…and written instructions

visual affordance almost always wins

So what is the point of all this?

People use the web differently…

… from the way they use books, object labels, magazines, newspapers,

information screens, etc

For most people the web is a

predominantly visual

medium

We are all different and some people like to read

all the text on a web page before deciding

what to do next, even though a lot of it might

be pretty redundant but most people – or at least most regular users

of the web – rather than reading through them

in detail just scan the web pages they are using, or at least the

ones where they are still trying to work out

where to go next

• Users won't read your text thoroughly word-by-word.

Exhaustive reading is rare, especially when browsing. Yes, some people will read more, but most won't.

• The first two paragraphs must state the most important information. There's some hope that users will actually read this material – though they'll probably read more of the first paragraph than the second.

• Start subheadings, paragraphs, and bullet points with information-carrying words that users will notice when scanning down the left side of your content in the final stem of their F-behaviour.

They'll read the third word on a line much less often than the first two words.

If they have to work at it for example if they

cannot see what they are looking for, or if it doesn’t make sense to

them at first glance then most people – or at least many

people who do a lot of searching or browsing on the web just

decide that this particular site is not for them, and anyway they

have a long list of other search results or ideas to try and so they go elsewhere

Exercise: Make this web page Exercise: Make this web page betterbetter

2 minutes - discuss with your neighbour

[Scribble revised layout on copy of page in your pack]

http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/index.cfm

About website structure, About website structure, ways people use the web and ways people use the web and implications for writing for the implications for writing for the

webweb

Certain types of websites impose linear user journeys:

TheTrainline.comCinema ticket bookings

Self assessment tax return online

In most websites, although there are some linear elements …

http://www.spinningtheweb.org.uk/journey.php?Title=Quarry+Bank+Mill+learning+journey&step=4&theme=places

… people like to have other pathways available to them…

… and most journeys are very non-linear

Also, most people reach your website via Google

Only 20% arrive at your website on the home page

Most may not have had your site in mind when searching

30% of them go to home page to ‘try and work out what this site is about’

So... each page on the site must quickly:

(a)engage users and (b)give sense of what site is about –

otherwise most will leave

‘Writing for the web’ is not just about text…

… but also choosing the right images… layouts

… graphical look and feel…website structure

etc etc

Key point of paragraph/

section

Image clearly related to text

Broken into short paras

Short video guides

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoU2yANNxRs&eurl=http://inside.123-reg.co.uk/archives/video-writing-your-web-copy

• Writing web headlines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBg7dJIfHM0

Home page: key functions

• Offer overview: – Show user what the site can do for them– Show user what is in the site:

• The structure at a glance• Content highlights or samples

• Engagement:– make user want to continue browsing

– www.manchestergalleries.org/

Article page: key functions

• Engage the user – make them want to consume the article

• Signposting: – Show user what else is nearby in the site

• The structure at a glance

– Show user what else the site offers them

– www.mylearning.org/overview.asp?journeyid=73

– www.manchestergalleries.org/

Short writing exercisesShort writing exercises

Short writing exercisesShort writing exercises

Key pointso About creating digital content – ‘writing for

the web’

o Plan, evaluate, do audience research, do user testing

o Make use of freebies and cheapies

Plan, evaluate, do audience research

o How to plan and conduct research into online audiences:http://sca.jiscinvolve.org/audience-publications/

o Focus on why you are measuring what you plan to measure

o Web stats, online questionnaires, focus groups (concept testing), user testing – various ways of gathering data

o Build costs into the project for regular evaluation – avoid expensive remedial action later in project

Key pointso About creating digital content – ‘writing for

the web’

o Plan, evaluate, do audience research, do user testing

o Make use of freebies and cheapies

Freebies and cheapies

o WordPress and other ‘free’ CMSs for creating websites, blogging, or prototyping

o YouTube, Vimeo, podcasting

o Social media: Facebook, Twitter

o Google maps, Google site search, Google Analytics

o TripAdvisor, etc

Making websites - CMSs

http://wordpress.com - free website creation service (pay extra for features like own domain name etc). All hosting and upgrading etc is done for you

Making websites - CMSs

http://wordpress.org - free website creation service – like .com except you have to install it on your server and you are responsible for updating, hosting costs, etc

Making websites - CMSs

www.contentcurator.net - free open-source CMS specially developed for cultural and heritage sector. Powerful and easy to use e.g. in-place editing

Making websites - CMSs

www.cmsmadesimple.org - free website creation service – you install it on your server and you are responsible for updating, hosting costs, etc - very similar to wordpress.org

Prototyping with WordPress

http://ruskinelementsofdrawing.wordpress.com

Video – maximise impact

http://vimeo.com

http://ruskinelementsofdrawing.wordpress.com

Social media – maximise impact?

Has potential to increase engagement but be aware:– long term commitment essential so financial

implications in resourcing– Can also work against you. DLNet vs. Dulwich Picture Gallery blog

ICT for business promotion

Putting the word out there– Blogs (WordPress.com, Tumblr, etc)– Photos or videos of events, work etc (Flickr, YouTube,

Vimeo)– Social media – but think carefully what for and how

will you sustain activity

ICT for business promotion 2

Podcasting– www.Podbean.com

ICT for business promotion 3

Running events based on digital – Animation– Photo, video editing, competitions– EventBrite or Amiando for online event booking– Etc etc

Online audiences - links

Advice and links on online audience research,social media strategy, evaluation, etc

http://onlineaudiences.wordpress.com/

More info / advice / ideas

Martin Bazley

0780 3580 727

www.martinbazley.com