I’ve been known to write multiple choice questions and quiz product managers. Here’s an example from a couple of years ago. Safari is a digital reading service for web professionals.
+ ++ Are any of these true about the books? These are the _____ titles. +
+ ++ Safari Flow is a(n): +
+ ++ Pick two. Safari Flow helps me, because: +
+ ++ They had a good product vision, but I had a hard time getting them to decide what was so great about the product. This is one way to play with that. I also like to do a Mad Libs exercise, which is in my Tiny Content Framework. Here’s an example of that for another client: +
+ ++ {Product name} {helps/lets} {audience noun} {verb} and {verb} {object} so they can {verb} {adverb}. ++ +
+ Chroma is a {noun} that lets you {verb} with {object}. ++ +
+ Chroma is a(n)... {field guide / visual guide / pocket reference / pocket guide / community of enthusiasts}. ++ +
+ Join Chroma to: {create a field guide / share curious things you find / discover guides and search nearby / tag birds, bugs, beers, and more}. ++ +
+ Get those words down and play with them. Expect to argue with each other. You don’t need a copywriter to do this. Plain language is better than jazzy puns. +
+ ++ Let’s move on to the next one. +
+ ++ This one may be a personal peeve, but I’m sure you’ve experienced it before. Be wary of limiting language, absolutes, and either/or statements. Here are some examples I’ve heard: +
+ ++ These phrases struck me, because they come in the form of a statement with no room for debate or interpretation. “Just” is a particularly dismissive word, and Brad Frost wrote a fantastic post about that for the Pastry Box. We all get in a hurry and make assumptions, but our work is about being open to possibilities—not finding the one right way to solve a problem. We have to consider situations and feelings we haven’t experienced ourselves. One way to practice this is to use words with a little bit of nuance or gray area: +
+ ++ This is not so much a writing trick as an editing trick. But it’s a good way to make sure you have room to do your job. +
+ ++ Another way to avoid this problem is to work through different variations. If you think there’s more than one way to approach a problem, show how that plays out in the interface. Whenever I’m presenting ideas, I like to share 3 or more options. People tend to make better decisions when there are a few things to choose from. It also gives you a chance to be creative. Don’t get stuck on a content structure or specific wording in design concepts. Explore your options in the language too. +
++ We all know good design doesn’t sell itself. If it did, Apple wouldn’t spend a gazillion dollars a year on advertising. If you’re working on a Kickstarter or selling design to the public, you’ll have to explain yourself a little bit. You can use words as material in that process. For me, that often looks like the Mad Libs exercise I showed you. I also have a bunch of product questions that I like to ask. It’s almost like a spec sheet for planning out the content. +
+ ++ Another one of my favorite tricks is to record myself or use speech-to-text to transcribe my words. I write down a few questions I want to answer. Who are my main audiences and what do they need to know? This could be for a pitch or a marketing meeting, anything really. Grab a pair of headphones and a recording device. Walk around and interview yourself. Pick someone specific to talk to, and imagine they’re asking you those questions. It feels a little silly at first, but afterwards, you can print it out and highlight the phrases that are interesting or useful for what you’re making. Cut it up and scrap the rest. I use this trick a lot to write outlines for essays and conference talks. +
+ ++ To summarize, these are some of the ways I use words as material in the design process: +
+ ++ You can use these right now, and you’ll find more that work for you. +
+ ++ I want to close with an excerpt from an interview in The Believer with David Foster Wallace. He’s talking about the gap between ordinary citizens and people who work in specialized roles. He says: +
+ ++ “Think of the thrill of finding a smart, competent IT technician who can also explain what she’s doing in such a way that you feel like you understand what went wrong with your computer and how you might even fix the problem yourself if it comes up again. Or an oncologist who can communicate clearly and humanly with you and your wife about what the available treatments for her stage-two neoplasm are, and about how the different treatments actually work, and exactly what the plusses and minuses of each one are. ++ +
+ If you’re like me, you practically drop and hug the ankles of technical specialists like this, when you find them. As of now, of course, they’re rare. What they have is a particular kind of genius that’s not really part of their specific area of expertise as such areas are usually defined and taught. There’s not really even a good univocal word for this kind of genius—which might be significant. Maybe there should be a word; maybe being able to communicate with people outside one’s area of expertise should be taught, and talked about, and considered as a requirement for genuine expertise.” ++ +
+ I think we have a profound responsibility to do that kind of communication and translation in our work. As designers, we’re often the people defining the problem and coming up with solutions. +
+ ++ Using words as material along the way will always make our work better. Clarity moves us forward, where ambiguity can pull us back. If we place our words carefully, we can build a path for ourselves right out of the mud. +
+ ++ Thank you. +
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