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Editing of book on user interface design rules

June 2, 2010

Designing with the Mind in Mind, by Jeff Johnson

Client: Jeff Johnson, author (Morgan Kaufmann, publisher)

Task: Edit the manuscript for Designing with the Mind in Mind: A Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Design Rules This link goes to a different site.

Dutchgirl’s solution

I provided light editing for this illuminating book. First, Johnson (author of GUI Bloopers, a manual for software engineers on avoiding common mistakes in user interface design) outlines up-to-date research on cognitive psychology. Then he shows how the design of human beings determines the rules of usable design for software and websites.

For more details

… or to discuss your project, contact us.

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Editing of book on web reputation systems

February 22, 2010

Cover of Building Web Reputation Systems, by F. Randall Farmer and Bryce Glass

Client: F. Randall Farmer and Bryce Glass, authors (O’Reilly Media and Yahoo! Press, publishers)

Challenge: Enhance the value of input from expert reviewers of the manuscript for Building Web Reputation Systems This link goes to a different site by editing the manuscript before review.

Dutchgirl’s solution

In this book, coauthors Farmer and Glass show — with architecture and system diagrams, formulas, and a detailed case study — how to build a system that reveals surprising and powerful information about users’ motivations and intentions and the quality of user-contributed content on a site.

My edit of the manuscript allowed expert reviewers to focus on reviewing the book’s content without being distracted by problems with clarity, usage, style, spelling, or grammar.

For more details

… or to discuss your project, contact us.

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Editing for Cisco.com

December 1, 2008

Client: Cisco

Challenges: Optimize webpages for content usability and search.

Dutchgirl’s solutions

I edited content on Cisco.com for clarity, Cisco style, length, and usability. On selected pages, I also incorporated designated keywords to optimize for search. Topics included various networking products, Cisco services, and programs for Cisco partners.

For more details

… or to discuss your project, contact us.

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Software how-to guides for teachers

November 18, 2005

“Cate is an exceptional editor. She takes muddled drafts and transforms them into crisp pieces that communicate technical concepts in plain English. She makes language appropriate for a range of audiences. Cate immediately grasps the key concepts in a piece, even when it’s her first exposure to the subject. I’ve always felt our work was substantially better when Cate worked with us. Cate makes instructions for interactive applications accurate and easy to use.” —Kirsti Aho, Macromedia/Adobe

Client: Macromedia/Adobe Systems

Products: Contribute, Captivate, Flash, Dreamweaver

Challenges

Software how-to guide drafts were hard to follow, contained errors, and did not conform to Macromedia’s standards. Audience for these guides was college teachers.

Dutchgirl’s solutions

I edited or rewrote the guides for the following:

  • Clarity: Were the instructions hard to understand?
  • Flow: Did the instructions follow in the right order?
  • Accuracy: Did the text describe the screenshots accurately?
  • Style: Did the text follow company style for usage, format, and so on?

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Writing corporate content on banking and finance

July 30, 2005

Clients/employers: Intuit, World Savings

Challenges: Produce effective company communication with customers, job seekers, regulators, and others, on topics that can be both sensitive and complex.

Dutchgirl’s solutions

Working with teams to define business goals and user tasks, I developed information architecture and wrote usable, persuasive website content for subsites on privacy, online security, corporate philanthropy, and careers.

On all subsites, content strategy required solving problems specific to the banking and finance industry. For example, privacy issues have unique implications in the context of online banking and tax software.

For more details

… or to discuss your project, contact us.

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Templates and copywriting for banking, finance, and tax content

July 30, 2005

Clients/employers: Intuit and World Savings

Challenges: Support marketing goals by designing content templates and writing clear, concise copy about the benefits and features of personal finance and tax software, financial services, and business services.

Dutchgirl’s solutions

Using a strategic, user-centered approach, I developed content templates for product descriptions and ongoing promotional campaigns on Intuit.com. Working with product managers, I edited product descriptions and promotions for clarity, Intuit style, length, and usability.

Products and services included Intuit software (QuickBooks, Quicken, and TurboTax), including online banking and tax preparation features; World Savings financial services (home loans, bank accounts, retirement accounts); and Intuit business services (IntuitAdvisor.com, payroll tools).

For more details

… or to discuss your project, contact us.

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User interface writing and guidelines for intranet applications

December 30, 2003

Client/employer: Intuit

Challenges: Reduce internal support and operations costs, increase employees’ use of benefits programs, and improve productivity and internal communication.

Dutchgirl’s solutions

I wrote user interface copy and designed interaction for a variety of intranet applications, including:

  • An internal news and information site — with interfaces for both readers and authors of articles, and guidelines for authors
  • A stock purchase plan signup tool for employees; see Employee Signup for Stock Purchase Plan
  • A “pay decision tool” for managers

I wrote navigation and other labels, onscreen instructions, error messages, help, and automatically generated emails.

For more details

… or to discuss your project, contact us.

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Employee signup for stock purchase plan

January 5, 2002

Employer: Intuit, Mountain View, California

Challenges: Design an intranet application to replace the paper form used for employee stock purchase plan signup and changes. Putting the functionality online changed the process for the staff processing the changes, as well as for employee users. Because an employee might incur financial risk by using the application, help text had to be carefully worded.

Dutchgirl’s solutions

I wrote user interface copy for several different user scenarios based on business requirements of the company’s stock plan. Here are the deliverables I produced:

  • Application flow: Flowchart for each user scenario: new signup, changes to contribution during or after open enrollment, withdrawal from the plan, and several others.
  • Interface copy and help: Series of screens for login and for each user scenario, including instructions to the engineers for dynamic text. A chart of error messages mapped to issues. Context-sensitive help about ESPP paycheck contributions and the rules of the plan.
  • Emails: Messages automatically generated by the system to send employees confirmation of changes they had made in the application, including instructions to engineers for dynamic text.

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Content writing for chipmaker

February 1, 2000

Client: Transmeta, maker of low-power microprocessors

Challenges: Describe Crusoe microprocessor technology as part of Transmeta’s widely publicized website launch.

Dutchgirl’s solutions

I wrote content about the workings, features, benefits, and applications of Crusoe, Transmeta’s software-based microprocessor technology (trademark: Code-Morphing Software), which was designed to prolong battery life compared to conventional processors.

The website launch was moved up by 3 weeks after the company got word that AMD, a competitor, planned to launch a similar product. A Wikipedia article on Transmeta This link goes to a different site describes the public speculation about Transmeta and its website.

For more details

… or to discuss your project, contact us.

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Content strategy for design portfolio

February 1, 2000

Client: Aaron Marcus and Associates, user interface design; www.amanda.com This link goes to a different site

Challenges: Develop a model for a portfolio of work by a user interface design firm.

Dutchgirl’s solutions

I provided architecture and content for one portfolio entry that served as a model implemented by AM+A. The model included a summary and basic details about each project and accommodated animated screenshots of key functionality.

For more details

… or to discuss your project, contact us.

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