Generating Compelling Content

Generating Compelling Content
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At the end of the day, content is king. The information you provide, the quality of debate you generate and interactivity can be essential in shifting participation and interest from passive to active. Content is not, however, about graphic design. Although style is important for some target audiences, the quality of the information presented, including its clarity and accessibility, can encourage or discourage participation.

Public sector managers need to understand that we are all living in an increasingly media-rich environment. Although the consultative processes of public sector organisations are by their very nature important, they do have to compete with a wide range of demands on the time and attention of potential participants. In some cases people consume multiple media simultaneously and each source of information must compete for attention immediately. It is essential to recognise that many target audiences are continually confronted with the need to ration or make ‘tradeoffs’ in their use of communications technologies. Therefore, when attempting to encourage participation in eEngagement initiatives, the core challenge of content development is to reward those tradeoffs with compelling content.

Some suggestions for encouraging participation in eEngagement initiatives include:

use plain language;
use short summaries that allow participation based on ‘skimming’ (provide extensive content as options for further reading);
provide alternative interpretations of information (such as ‘case studies’, points of view, or first-person accounts);
allow issues to be personalised (e.g. if the issue is one involving cost tradeoffs, provide an online calculator to determine benefits at different levels of costs for the individual);
where appropriate provide a mix of media forms (text, audio, animation, diagrams, games) which allow users to consume the content in their preferred format;
workshop, or user-test, content with a focus group (formal or informal) prior to release;
be prepared to adjust content ‘on the fly’;
provide capacity for participants to generate their own content;
ensure an appropriate ‘refresh’ period for content – eEngagement processes that attract commitment provide new information and experience on each visit by the participant (where the process is multi-stage); and
remember what the user has seen and make navigation menus dynamic to present new or unread information on the next visit (requires cookies).

Exhibit 24: Public Participation Geographic Information Systems

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a type of mapping software that allows the storage, analysis and presentation of spatial data. GIS systems are used largely in land / urban planning processes, but allow data to be overlayed for analytical purposes. Data may include land use, pollution flows, car movements or any other form of information pertaining to location and position.

These systems can be very useful for relevant eEngagement purposes (Public Participation GIS (PPGIS)), allowing participants to visualise and analyse spatial issues, or provide data to overlay existing map data. With global positioning (GPS) being incorporated within some low-cost consumer electronics, the capacity for members of the community to contribute to GIS datasets (rather than simply consume data) will expand. Examples of PPGIS include:

as part of a major review of their Local Environment Plan the Kiama Municipal Council partnered with the University of Wollongong to develop a web-based GIS site to allow members of the community to visualise land use issues in the municipality. The system allows members of the community to look at current land use issues across the whole municipality before completing a survey;

the Community Block Grant Administration of Milwaukee has employed GIS in local neighbourhood strategic planning, where members of local communities undertake assessments of local strengths and needs based on data provided on economic and social indicators and presented using special mapping techniques;

GIS has been combined with 3D imaging technology to allow for the ‘visualisation’ of different policy decisions for land use and area planning, allowing communities to see the projected impacts of different land planning regimes on local growth and the aesthetics of the community. See: http://www.communityviz.com/

Compelling Content versus Eyecandy^[4]

The multimedia elements of ICTs are often touted as one of their compelling features. The convergence of text, audio and video can allow the development of attractive and entertaining online content that presents – often dry – content in a dynamic manner. When developing online content, it is important to gauge the value of dynamic media against technical issues (discussed in Section 4.3.4, Low Tech versus High Tech), as well as the relevance of stylistic design to the objectives of the engagement process.

Exhibit 25: Web Design for Accessibility

When utilising a website as a primary or secondary element for eEngagement, it is important to apply the relevant World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines to ensure that the content is presented in a manner accessible (readable or interpretable) to the widest possible audience.

These standards have been put into place to assist website designers to ensure that content is accessible to users who may:

have limited vision or dexterity;

have learning impairments or poor language skills;

use assistive technologies to encounter information online (such as text-to-speech converters or Braille computers); and

have low information literacy skills.

The guidelines provide technical and stylistic suggestions to increase the readability of online content and are mandated by many levels of government in Australasia. While generally considered a requirement for disabled members of the community, these standards have wider value to people whose primary language is not English, older members of the community and people who have poor literacy. Because the Australian and New Zealand societies are progressively aging, consistent application of these design guides will be increasingly important for social inclusion.

Further information on the guidelines can be found at: http://www.w3.org/WAI/

The tendency to over-emphasise design can significantly limit participation by:

misrepresenting the content as not serious;
preventing access by people with limited access speeds or who are unfamiliar with complex graphical user environments; and
slow interaction with the system.

The accessibility of ICT interfaces is an ongoing concern for all governments for a number of reasons:

governments are keen to promote their online information as accessible to all;
there have been cases of litigation where inappropriate site design has prevented participation (for example: Maguire v SOCOG);
the convergence of the internet protocol with a range of electronic devices makes ‘standardised’ designs (such as websites that enforce a specific screen resolution) unwise; and
there is a growing movement towards standardisation of presentation to aid consistent branding and make user navigation simpler.

A good web designer is invaluable in ensuring that these issues are well-managed. They will have:

a good technical understanding;
a good understanding of useability issues;
an awareness of relevant standards bodies and guides; and
an awareness of relevant legal requirements and risks.

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Generating Compelling Content

Compelling Content versus Eyecandy[4]

Compelling Content versus Eyecandy^[4]