What is Content and Who Are Content Authors?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines content as “everything that is contained within something.” This refers to all text, hyperlinks, buttons, images, graphics, colors, fonts, et cetera in a document, design, or webpage.
Content authors are people who create content. They are most often (but not limited to) marketers, communicators, writers, graphic designers, and trainers. Whatever you do to serve UTA, you most likely produce content for others to use.
As a content author, your duties might include:
- drafting memorandums
- developing training materials
- writing emails
- creating status reports
- designing flyers or brochures
- writing steps or how-to guides
- producing podcasts or videos
- designing a magazine or publication
- gathering content for a newsletter
- entering data into spreadsheets
- generating pie charts or graphs
- taking meeting minutes
- planning a social media calendar
- designing and maintaining websites
- writing content for business forms
- crafting event invitations
- hosting meetings or webinars
- designing or editing slideshows
What is Universal Design?
Universal Design is the practice of ensuring all users can access, understand, and use your content.
“Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.” – The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design
The 7 Principles of Universal Design provide a useful metric:
- Equitable Use – useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities
- Flexible Use – accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities
- Simple and Intuitive Use – easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level
- Perceptible Information – communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities
- Tolerance for Error – minimizes hazards and consequences of accidental actions
- Low Physical Effort – can be used efficiently, comfortably, and with minimum fatigue
- Size and Space for Approach and Use – sufficient size and space to allow for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user’s body size, posture, or mobility
This information was adapted from The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design.
Content should be purposefully crafted so that all users can access, use, and understand the information.
What Are the Four Principles of Accessibility?
The Four Principles of Accessibility, developed by WCAG, outline the criteria for content that all users can access, use, and understand.
- Perceivable – Users must be able to perceive the information and user interface components being presented (it can’t be invisible to all of their senses.)
- Operable – Users must be able to operate and navigate the user interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform.)
- Understandable – Users must be able to understand the information and the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding.)
- Robust – Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible.)
This information was adapted from WCAG.
What is Technical Communication?
“Technical communication is the exchange of information (both form and content) that helps users perform a task, solve a problem, or make a decision.” – Dr. Timothy Ponce, UTA Department of English
Most designs, documents, and websites are technical communication.
Examples of technical communication include manuals, standard operating procedures, software how-to guides, instructions for registering for classes, official policies, a comparison of benefit plans, business memos or emails, et cetera.
Strong technical communication:
- Always prioritizes and meets the needs of all users
- Makes action items or steps obvious and easy to follow
- Delivers information directly, succinctly, and simply
- Presents a single correct interpretation of the information
- Is never persuasive or editorial
Ask these questions to determine if the content is strong technical communication:
- Does the content prioritize the needs of the user?
- Is the wording easy to follow?
- Are action items and key takeaways obvious?
- Does the content look long-winded or intimidating?
Where Can Content Authors Learn More?
Learn more about the intersection of graphic design, accessibility, technical writing, and design best practices in this 30-minute recorded lecture from UTA’s Department of English Hermann Lecture series.