Learn the importance of empathy as well as essential "dos and don'ts" when working with content authors (writers, photographers, videographers and designers) Presentation given at Lavacon 2015 by Melissa Eggleston.

1. @melissa_egg #LavaCon
Improving AX
(Content Author Experience)
Melissa Eggleston
Consultant & UX-Shop
melissa@melissaegg.com

2. Quiz: Which content author
said it?
• photographer
• videographer
• graphic designer
• writer

3. “Ooohh, I really hope
they like it."
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4. “The client is trying to
make their story suck.”
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5. “I hope she likes them
— because they’re great.”
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6. “They hire me
but then don’t respect
my profession opinion.”
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7. Confidence Continuum
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WritersVideographers Photographers Graphic Designers
High
Low

8. Who am I?
• UX Researcher
• Content Strategist
• I’ve been paid to be all of these content authors at
one time or another in my life.
• I now manage these types of content authors for
clients.
Photo courtesy of Advanced Aerial Photography because I would never get in a helicopter, ever.

9. Where did I get my information?
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Interviews (10)1.
2. Surveys with open-ended questions (54)
3. Secondary research (online, print publications)
4. Personal experience (I’ve worn lots of hats.)

10. Who have these content authors worked for?
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11. Author Experience (AX)

12. What is author experience (AX)?
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All interactions a content author*
has with you and your organization
while working on a project.
Technology People
*writer, photographer, videographer, designer, etc.

13. The Problem with Poor AX

14. The Problem
Picture 1!
Photo courtesy of Geoff Stearns

15. Photo courtesy of Tracy O

16. The Problem
Picture 2!

17. Companies that have caught n
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18. Our Goal
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19. Self-Empathy Required

20. Resistance?
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21. Resistance?
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22. Did not lern it on the soccer field
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23. Exercise
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Write down in one sentence a situation you have at
work involving another person that really bugs you.
If your work life is super smooth right now,
congratulations! Think about a situation with your
spouse, other family member or friend.

24. Exercise
@melissa_egg #LavaCon
• What am I thinking? (hand on head)
(examples: “This person is a jerk! This sucks. How am I going to meet
deadline now? Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame. I’m going to give him a
piece of my mind, etc.”)
• What am I feeling? (hand on heart)
(examples: anxious, frustrated, upset, worried, irritated, enraged, alone,
tense, discouraged, dominated, lost, uneasy, etc.)
• What am I needing? (hand on belly)
(examples: consideration, communication, awareness, participation,
cooperation, inclusion, independence, space, clarity, understanding)

25. Author Empathy Needed

26. After we have self-empathy, we can move to...
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• What are you, content author, feeling?
• What are you, content author, needing?

27. “Empathy grows as we learn.”
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– Alice Miller, psychologist

28. • Picture of a graphic designer!

29. @melissa_egg #LavaCon
Give them the final text because small changes
affect the design.
1.
2.
3.
Ensure you are speaking the same language by
giving examples, (“elegant” varies person-to-person).
4. Great design isn’t quick, e.g. logos cannot be made
in 2 hours.
Graphic Designer Do’s
Provide descriptive feedback with the WHY if you
don’t like something so they can solve the issue.
5. Organize feedback - 14 emails in one day is not OK.

31. @melissa_egg #LavaCon
Give clear instructions and expectations.1.
2. Talk to them in person or on the phone (at least once).
3. Compensate them well or at least fairly for their time.
4. Realize that sitting on a project will delay it.
Writer Do’s

32. Videographer Do’s
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Photo courtesy of John Ben

33. @melissa_egg #LavaCon
Discuss (and be sure to have) a goal for the video.1.
2. Understand that even tiny video changes take time
due to exporting, compressing, and uploading video.
3. Give them a clear deadline.
4. Be organized, great videos are the result of careful
planning not shooting on the fly.
Videographer Do’s

34. Writer Do’s &Dont’s
Photo courtesy of Lynn Friedman

35. @melissa_egg #LavaCon
Understand the image and look you want.1.
2. Be clear on how and where you are going to use the
images taken.
3. Be specific about needs and ask questions.
4. Expect that editing photos will take time. No, you
won’t get them tomorrow.
Photographer Do’s

36. Photographers & Videographers Need You to Know
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Time of day affects the quality of the shoot.

37. Everybody
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The They all talk about .
Photo courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar

38. Everybody
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The They all talk about .
Photo courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar
✕

39. @melissa_egg #LavaCon
Be collaborative to get a better final product.1.
2. Look at past work to see if you and the content
author are a good match.
3. Do not add to their “To Do” list without expecting to
pay more.
4. Respond promptly with feedback to stick to the
agreed upon schedule.
All Content Author Do’s
Ensure they don’t have to track down payments.5.
Have one contact/point person for the project.6.

41. Everybody
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ungryH
Angry
L onely
Tired
The value of pausing before responding
to content authors cannot be overestimated.

42. Pledge time
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Time to take the
Content Manager’s Pledge

43. Pledge time
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Q & A

44. Go thank
a content author
(publicly!)