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We
are teachers
When we teach, we
seek to help our students build a bridge between the information we are
presenting and how they will use the information in their own lives and
work. We try to challenge students and help them see how improving the
way they structure information will not just help them, but will help
the organizations they support as well.
We've been fortunate
in that we've worked with all levels of students— from juniors in
college who are experiencing professional writing for the first time to
executives and decision makers who are looking to hone their skills and
improve the performance of their organizations.
Course
development and instruction
We have developed
several courses to help you structure information so that people can find
it, use it and appreciate the experience. We offer our courses at a downtown
DC training facility. Or we will come to your site for in-house training.
We offer:
Information Architecture
for the World Wide Web
Information architects convey complex information as clearly as possible.
This course focuses on a systematic process for developing the architecture
of a Web site to help people find and use information efficiently by incorporating
user accessibility cues and effective layout principles.
In this course you
will:
- Define information
architecture
- Create a user-focused
foundation
- Understand how
people process information
- Shape information
so people can find and use it
- Create sites people
can navigate
- Present Web text
that people will read and understand
- Test the architecture
and design of a Web site
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Writing for the
Web
Organizations have discovered that successful websites require customer
satisfaction. And satisfied customers look at web sites as tools that
enable them to find and use information. Of course, as we all know, web
sites do not often work. Certainly there are often technical and managerial
challenges, but we often face a "hidden" problem: the structure of the
information itself.
As web users, we
step into an environment where we often try to gather specific information
so we can apply it in our work. But instead of accessing information easily,
we are thwarted by the visual presentation that confuses us. And we face
labels and categories that don't match what we know.
As writers, we are
challenged to improve the structure of information on our web sites. We
are challenged to find ways we can involve users -- not to get their preference
on a site, but to learn how they make decisions and use the information
we've presented.
Specifically you
will:
- Explore users'
perspectives of the web environment
- Learn strategies
for creating performance-based structures instead of preference-based
structures
- Discover why web
writing is "visual writing" -- and a structure for remembering graphic
"guidelines"
- Identify strategies
for "chunking" and "architecting" information
- Explore techniques
for layering text
- Organize information
in user-friendly formats
- Rewrite print
materials to take advantage of the web
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Visual Design
of Information
Our work
demands effective presentation of information. But how do we organize,
transform, and present our information so people can find it, use it,
and understand it? One solution is to think like an information designer.
In this class you will learn the vocabulary and techniques of information
design.
Specifically, you
will:
- Define "information
design"
- Explore a process
for architecting information with the user in mind
- Discover ways
users perceive and process information
- Review techniques
for helping users compare and contrast information
- Examine approaches
for testing the usability of information structures
- Discover techniques
for creating effective information graphics
- Apply information
design principles in designing in-class communication products.
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Structuring Narrative
Businesses are increasingly turning to narrative structures to present
information to tell stories about the organization and the work they are
doing. In this hands-on writing class, you will examine the nature of
"seeing" as a writer and explore various modes of turning work experience
into prose. The course is designed for those interested in applying the
skill of the storyteller to professional writing.
Specifically you
will:
- Explore the uses
of narrative in business writing
- Incorporate techniques
for description
- Explore structures
for narrative and storytelling
- Learn techniques
for improving simplicity and style
- Examine usefulness
of business narrative in web writing
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Structuring Professional
Writing
Technical
writing does not equal boring writing. Technical writers (professional
writers) structure information to help people get their jobs done. In
this class you will have the opportunity to learn how to identify different
audiences and mold information to help them use the information as you
envisioned.
Specifically you
will :
- Explore the role
of technical (professional) writers in the workplace
- Build document,
paragraph, and sentence structures that enable people to quickly access
information
- Learn specific
techniques for making your writing clear and accessible
- Learn how to respond
to inherent structures in information
- Learn strategies
for displaying content (in print or electronically) so people can easily
act on it
- Explore challenges
of working with managers, colleagues, and users to build effective communication
products.
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To schedule a course
at your site contact our training
director.
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