Why whitespace matters There is a tendency among non-experts to cram as much information as possible onto a webpage. But you should not think of whitespace as wasted space. Designers know that whitespace is hugely…
Three interesting articles about content that I have come across recently. The importance of copywriting for UX Interesting examples of poor copywriting, and why it is important to write in plain language. Respect your…
Designing embraceable change This article is rather old, but I only came across it this week and I quite enjoyed it. It explains why many website redesigns go down badly, even if they are an improvement over the old…
How users read Gov.uk have published their Service Design Manual, an amazingly comprehensive resource about digital service delivery. This particular section outlines the background to the Government Digital Service’s…
There is a theme to this week’s selection – microcopy. Microcopy is the really short items of content – navigation labels, the wording of submit buttons, and so on. This can have a big effect on the success of a…
We are now making a more concerted effort to provide training to our users on a more regular basis. TerminalFour Site Manager T4 Site Manager training will now be held monthly. This session gives an overview of Site…
One of the most frequent problems with content on the University website is broken links. Frustratingly, many of these broken links are perfectly avoidable. With a bit of extra care, content owners can take one simple…
The University’s Staff Development team is providing a course on writing for the web. It will take place 19 November from 1.15 pm to 4.30 pm at Seminar Rooms 3 and 4, David Russell Apartments. If you produce content…
Earlier this month Gareth and I attended the Institutional Web Management Workshop 2010 (IWMW10), held at the University of Sheffield. It was my first time at IWMW, and since I still feel slightly new to the Web in a…