What happens in users’ heads when they process online (or print) information?
How can we structure information so people can find what they want, use it, and appreciate the experience.
How can we share our knowledge with others?
In a dynamic, exploratory, and fun-filled presentation, you’ll have the chance to step inside the human
experience and discover how people think graphically (relying on patterns, thinking actively, facing limitations),
how the desire for action affects human thinking and decision making, how humans look for interconnections in
data (reviewing structures human beings expect) and how they rely on navigational cues (and what this means
as we craft products for understanding and use.)
In this session, you will have the opportunity to synthesize research so you can articulate to your colleagues
why structure matters. In the process, you may rediscover the value you create in your work and the possibilities
that await you.
User-focused process can guide us as we craft communication products. But how do we synthesize the literature of the
field so that we can explain to our bosses and colleagues how our work supports improvements in user and organizational
performance?
In this fast-paced, interactive session, you’ll have the opportunity to look at the product
development through the lens of GECKO - Gathering, Evaluating, Chunking, Knowing, and Optimizing. You’ll
discover tips and tricks for planning your project, managing political conflicts, focusing your content, selecting
and grouping content, testing and listening to users, and structuring your content for optimal effectiveness.
The presentation will give you an opportunity to reflect on the context in which you do your work and the
process you follow. You may find that by “talking GECKO” you can remind yourself and others of
opportunities for overcoming barriers and structures to support your actions.
How can we synthesize our user-focus with complementary structures for crafting content that
supports others? In this session, you’ll have the opportunity to look at product development through different
lenses as Thom helps participants develop strategies for thinking like the user and then delving into the structure
and content in communication products. Specifically, we will look at strategies for crafting content so it is user-focused,
clutter-free, clear, concise, and helpful. We will also look at ways narrative strategies support users and follow a
structure for focusing our narrative writing.
Increasingly, our organizational brand is conveyed by the stories we tell. Are you familiar with
story structure and how you can use it in your organization? In this workshop, Thom will introduce story
elements “character,” “action,” “location” “time”
“emotion” and “detail.”
Participants will rework organizational or personal narratives so
they are succinct, understandable, and effective.
