Why I spend twice as long designing my writing than I do actually writing...

Given time constraints and how busy we all are it can be really easy to just chuck a communication/presentation/document together and not bother to think about its design and how the information is laid out...but it is the one thing I definitely do not skip. Yes it takes extra time but there are 3 critical reasons why I design all my communications:

First impressions baby!

Studies show that a viewer's first impressions are most influenced by visual appeal [1, 2]. In one study 94% of negative feedback on a website was design related such as busy layout, boring (participants words, not mine) use of colour and small print [1]. Only 6% related to the site's content! Think about it, you have put all this effort into writing content you want to make sure people actually read it. We receive so much information every day. If your content doesn't look well-formatted or bland it will get ignored. 

Up your cred

Want people to trust your information? Well, design = credibility. Studies show design is crucial when it comes to the level of credibility and trust people attribute to the information they receive. In one study almost half of participants (46%) used visual cues alone to assess a website's credibility [3]. But we know this intuitively. Ever gotten a shocking looking flyer in the mail from a local business, how likely are you to hire them? 

Make it work (usability and all that stuff)

Ok so the first two were pretty obvious, if your comms looks like garbage people aren't going to read it. But I think the most important reason to design your writing is so that it's easy to read, follow and find information - which is what you want, right? Well, people also rate usability against visual factors [2]. Users rate sites with high visual appeal as having high usability and those with low visual appeal as having low usability. In particular, those with high visual appeal are rated as easier to use and navigate, as well as more accurate, trustworthy (there's that word again) and satisfying than sites with low visual appeal.

While writing is important, I believe we spend way too much time crafting words and nowhere near enough time on how they are presented. Stats aside, it just makes sense that if you present people with a wall of text or information all over the place they will be overwhelmed and have difficulty finding information. Yet this is often what we experience. Just think what it would be like if people spent less time agonising over perfect wording and instead used that time designing their communication in a way that attracted attention, was easy to read and facilitated comprehension. If you want to be one of those people but don't know where to start, check out my articles:

• No excuses guide to graphic design for non-designers

• Design Principles Quick Reference Guide

1. Sillence, Elizabeth & Briggs, Pamela & Fishwick, Lesley & Harris, Peter. (2004). Trust and mistrust of online health sites.

2. Phillips, Christine & Chaparro, Barbara. (2009). Visual Appeal vs. Usability: Which One Influences User Perceptions of a Website More?. Softw. Usability Res. Lab. (SURL) A. T. Wichita State Univ.. 11.

3. Fogg, B.J., Soohoo, C., and Danielson, D. 2002. How Do People Evaluate a Web Site’s Credibility?: Results from a Large Study.