This month we hosted the second of our new Content Improvement Monthly meet-ups at Argyle House – it was great to see everyone who attended and really interesting to hear about different experiences of managing long content pages.

Content Design Monthly meet-up session

For those who haven’t heard about Content Improvement Monthly, it’s a new meet-up for University staff who work with web content. Every month, we choose a topic in the world of content and meet up to share:

• How we approach that topic
• Any challenges that come with it
• What we’d like to learn more about.

Victoria Watson, Digital Content Officer at the University of Edinburgh Business School shares her thoughts about her experience of attending the meet-ups:

I’ve attended both sessions so far, and they have been incredibly useful. Sharing common web content challenges and brainstorming possible solutions with other web publishers has been very productive, and I’ve picked up a couple of handy tips along the way. Focusing on a specific topic for each interactive session works really well. Additionally, it’s been lovely meeting others in the same role across the University.

This month’s topic was long content pages. Below are the top takeaways from the session and also some further resources if you are looking to learn more about the topic.

Top takeaways from the session

1. Long pages aren’t always a bad thing; it’s how you lay them out effectively.
2. When looking at ways to shorten pages (for example, by using accordions) – consider accessibility and searchability implications for users.
3. Think about who the page users are and what they need to do. Does the page length affect them completing their key task?

Here are some further resources on managing long pages

• Amy Hupe and Caroline Jarrett: Don’t be afraid of the big long page
• Adam Silver: “This week I used an accordion!”
• GOV.UK Design System | Components | Accordion

Short on time?

Small changes can be really effective. If you are pressed for time, why not set aside 15 minutes this month and have a go at the following ‘mini-win’ task:

Find a long page on your site to review and ask yourself some of these questions:

• Is any content outdated?
• Does all the information need to be on that page? If not, can sections be relocated or removed?
• Could changing the layout assist users? (For example, clearer headings or shorter paragraphs to make content easier to find)

Contacting the User Experience Service

Feel free to get in touch with us via email: user-experience@ed.ac.uk if you have any questions or would like to discuss particular pages of your site in more detail.

To hear about future content improvement events, you can join our mailing list:

Join the User Experience and Content Design mailing list

Or you can take a look at our Wiki page:

Read the Content Improvement Community Wiki page

Next meet-up: Wednesday 26 June 2024 (12:30pm – 1:30pm)

The topic for next month’s meet-up will be links and buttons. The session will be held in person at Argyle House Meeting Room 14, Floor E (Central Area).

Book a place on Content Improvement Monthly

Feedback & suggestions for future topics

If you have any feedback or suggestions for future topics, we’d love to hear from you (user-experience@ed.ac.uk).

New meet-up – Mini Wins: Bitesize Content Improvement

Did you know we have started a new online meet-up for University staff who work with web content? At each 20-minute session, we’ll focus on an area of web content that needs improvement. At the end, we’ll agree on a tiny task: a small thing we can do to improve our websites.

Our next session is on Tuesday 25 June, 1:40pm to 2pm, and the topic will be headings.

Book a place on Mini Wins: Bitesize Content Improvement – Tuesday 25 June, 1:40pm to 2pm